


Music to my Ears

by SuperNovaGalaxy



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Beaches, Coffee, Eventual Smut, First Dates, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Light Angst, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, Slow Burn-ish
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:20:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24035737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuperNovaGalaxy/pseuds/SuperNovaGalaxy
Summary: Iwaizumi and his friends are entering their final year of college and are determined not to let anything distract them. That is until a short vacation at the end of the summer. Iwaizumi finds himself slowly falling in love with Oikawa and isn't sure how to deal with it.OrIwaizumi left his science credits until his final year and will eventually need some help from a certain science major if he wants to pass.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi
Comments: 28
Kudos: 108





	1. A Short Vacation

**Author's Note:**

> I've been planning this fic for a while now and have finally come around to writing it. I hope you all like it. This chapter took a few days to write as, despite my planning, I ended up changing some concepts entirely. I hope you all enjoy it :)  
> As well, please forgive my formatting for the time being. I haven't posted here and a while and will take a couple chapters to figure it out, probably.

“How much do you want to bet that one or both of them hasn’t packed anything yet?” 

Iwaizumi stopped in his tracks, staring at Daichi for a few moments. The thought hadn’t occurred to him although he knew Daichi was right. He sighed as he began walking down the hall again, earning a small laugh from Daichi. 

“Nothing, because you’re probably right.” 

Upon entering Kuroo and Bokuto’s apartment, the two were greeted by Kuroo, along with the sound of drawers being opened and closed loudly. 

“Bokuto’s packing his things.” Kuroo said, as if the sounds coming form the open bedroom door weren’t obvious enough. This resulted in Daichi and Iwaizumi sharing a knowing look before finding a seat on the couch with Kuroo to wait. 

“You know, Bokuto,” Kuroo started, a small grin on his face, “you could have done this last night.” 

The sounds coming from the other room briefly stopped before being replaced by quick footsteps and Bokuto poking his head out from his bedroom.

“I was busy last night.” Bokuto stated, crossing his arms.

“Doing what? You were watching TV for hours.” 

“We had no recording space left! I was simply clearing it up to make room for the future. You can thank me later.” 

Despite being slightly delayed by Bokuto’s poor planning, no one seemed to mind. It was one of the last weekends before school started up again, and they’d been planning their trip for months. After doing nothing but working the past couple summers, the four decided they deserved a small vacation before their last year of college, even if it was only for a weekend. 

Iwaizumi was especially looking forward to the weekend. They’d be by the beach for four days and he’d been counting down the days ever since the four had confirmed their trip. If it were up to him, he’d never leave but alas the four would have to return for school the following week.   
“Ready!” Bokuto announced, emerging from his bedroom with a duffle bag over his shoulder. 

Despite the slight delay, the four managed to get on the road at a decent hour, leaving most of the day left by the time they arrived. Iwaizumi couldn’t wait, looking forward to doing whatever he wanted when they arrived, even if that meant doing absolutely nothing. They had about a two and a half hour drive ahead of them in which the first hour consisted of Kuroo and Bokuto singing loudly to whatever music they’d thrown on, earing a few laughs from Iwaizumi and Daichi, and the other half sleeping despite the fact that it was almost noon.

Once things had quieted down, Iwaizumi and Daichi chatted for a bit and eventually Iwaizumi found himself staring out the window. They’d left the city behind them a while back, now passing through a few towns on their way, which then faded to open fields, signaling that they were almost at their destination. Iwaizumi took a few moments to enjoy the view from the window. As much as he loved living in the city, the change of scenery was welcomed. After a few years he’d gotten used to the sound of cars at all hours of the day and night, the sounds of people walking and talking loudly, and the sound of music he could sometimes hear from either his neighbours or from down the street. The city really never slept. 

Even after growing accustomed to the sounds of the city he was looking forward to the sounds of the waves and feeling the gentle breeze that came along with it. Even if it was only for four days before they had to go back, he made a plan to enjoy every second of it.   
After another half an hour, they were driving through the streets of a small beach town. People were walking on the side walks talking or going in and out of the various small shops that were there. The town was popular amongst tourists as not only was it close to the beach, but it offered plenty of other things to do within the small town. It was especially popular amongst university and college students nearing the end of the summer. Groups would often rent one of the many houses that lined the beach front for a weekend to enjoy some time off before going back to work or to school. 

When they’d finally arrived at their place, it looked like something out of a cheesy summer movie. All the houses that lined the beach front were identical, the only thing differentiating them was the different pastel colours they were painted. Bokuto had insisted they stay in the bright yellow one which was situated between a teal and coral one. Despite the cheesy nature of it all, it was perfect and exactly the break that the four of them needed.

The car stopping in the small driveway seemed to wake Bokuto and Kuroo up, the two immediately full of energy despite having just woken up. 

“ _Finally_ , that was a long drive.” Kuroo stated, stretching his arms above his head as the four got out of the car. 

“You slept for more than half the time,” Daichi said, gently shoving Kuroo’s shoulder as he took a few things into his arms. 

“I can feel the journey in my bones because of your tiny ass car.” 

“My car has nothing to do with it. You’re just old.” 

“I am not old!” 

As Daichi continued to tease Kuroo, Iwaizumi put his bag over his shoulder, grabbing a few others then followed Bokuto into the house to set everything down, Kuroo and Daichi eventually following behind them. 

The house was small, a small seating area at the front and a small kitchen behind it. Two doors were on either side which Iwaizumi assumed was two bedrooms meaning the other two were upstairs. 

As they unpacked their things, both Daichi and Iwaizumi agreed they’d take the top floor as if they were all drinking, they were the only two that would be able to take the stairs by themselves and save Kuroo and Bokuto all possible injuries, sober or not. 

Once upstairs there was just a small space, hardly enough room for him and Daichi to stand there together. Two doors on either side were their bedrooms and the third in front led to the rather spacious balcony with a view of the ocean. Iwaizumi immediately knew where he’d be wanting to spend most of his time.   
…   
Once they’d finished unpacking their things, the four spent most of the day either in the small living room or sitting outside. A few of their other friends from college dropped by and the group spent most of the day chatting and having a few drinks. It was a nice change for once, the four of them hardly having a day to themselves for the majority of the summer making them content just doing nothing for once. 

Eventually exhaustion caught up with all of them after their busy weeks and they decided to call it a night rather early. Not that it mattered. They did have the whole weekend to do whatever they wanted. Iwaizumi hardly remembered changing into his sweat pants and crawling into bed, falling asleep the second his head hit the pillow. 

…  
When Iwaizumi woke up, he expected the sun to be shining through the window in his bedroom. Instead he was greeted with mostly darkness and a faint light coming from outside. Rolling over he reached for his phone for the time, 2:44 am lighting up his face. Putting it back down, Iwaizumi closed his eyes again, listening to the sounds of the waves coming from the beach. It was relaxing and seemed to make him forget about just about everything for a few moments. He was slowly beginning to drift off again to the sounds of the waves when something caught his attention.

The sound of music. 

It was soft and distant, but not irritating in any way. He knew a lot of people would stay up late, but he hardly expecting anything to be happening at this hour.

Curiosity got the better of him and Iwaizumi pulled himself out of bed, reaching for a t-shirt to put on before leaving his room, slowly stepping onto the balcony. He rested his arms on the railing and leaned forward, closing his eyes for a moment to enjoy the fresh air. He already never wanted to leave. 

The soft sound of music pulled Iwaizumi from his thoughts. Looking out at the beach, it was almost empty. A few people seemed to be on a late-night walk and small bouts of laughter and a small conversation could be heard. There was also someone sitting on the beach, not too far away from where Iwaizumi was standing. He could make out the features of the other man from where he was standing, who appeared to be his age. He had his phone on the sand next to him, which is where Iwaizumi assumed the soft sound of music was coming from. What had Iwaizumi slightly intrigued was how calm and relaxed he seemed. He was leaning back on his hands, looking back and forth from the sky to the ocean. Iwaizumi couldn’t help but be a little intrigued, and watched for a few more moments, taking note at how the wind gently blew through the others brown hair yet it still remained immaculate. 

Eventually he snapped himself out of his trance and sat down on one of the chairs, allowing the railing to hide him slightly in case the other noticed his staring. 

_Stop being creepy_ he thought to himself.

Tipping his head back, Iwaizumi closed his eyes for a bit, allowing the sound of the waves and the soft music to relax him. 

He didn’t know how long he’d stayed out there for, but after a while he felt himself grow tired again. Standing up, he turned his head out to the beach to find the other man still there, now sitting cross-legged and looking out at the ocean. 

Before he found himself staring longer, Iwaizumi turned around and went back inside, gently closing the door behind him as to not wake anyone up. 

When he crawled back under the covers of the bed, he quickly checked his phone, wondering how long he’d stayed outside for. The time read 3:30 am, telling him he was outside for just under an hour. Shutting it off, he rolled over and immediately felt tired again, however let his thoughts wander a little longer before falling back asleep. 

…  
Iwaizumi managed to pull himself out of bed before noon, despite wanting to stay in bed all day. Even though he could have if he really wanted to, he opted for spending the day with his friends instead. When he went downstairs, he was almost surprised to find out he was the last one up, Kuroo and Daichi making breakfast for them most likely after evicting Bokuto away from all appliances. Usually Kuroo and Bokuto were later risers, although they didn’t wake up at quarter to three and stand outside for almost an hour after accidently staring at a stranger for a few moments.

Maybe it wasn’t entirely accidental. But that wasn’t the point. 

“Well good morning, sleeping beauty,” Kuroo grinned, handing Iwaizumi a cup of coffee before he had the chance to say anything snarky back, “sleep well?”

Iwaizumi took the cup of coffee before sitting at the small kitchen table with Bokuto. 

“Yeah,” he replied, taking a sip of his coffee, “how long have you guys been up?”

“About an hour. We figured if you weren’t awake by the time breakfast was ready, we’d be able to get you out of your room with the promise of coffee.”

Iwaizumi snorted. They weren’t wrong. 

“So, any plans today?” Iwaizumi asked.

“The only plan we have is kicking your ass and Dachi’s ass in a friendly game of beach volleyball.” Kuroo stated, pointing a spatula at Iwaizumi from the kitchen.

“You’re all talk and no game,” Daichi cut in, nudging Kuroo with his elbow, “you’ll see.”

“I am not! You wound me with your words, Daichi.”

Iwaizumi couldn’t help but roll his eyes, smiling a bit at their bickering, which Bokuto eventually joined in on, the conversation only ending when Daichi and Kuroo placed food and more coffee on the table for the four of them. 

Once they’d finished eating, Iwaizumi and Bokuto did the dishes before they got ready for the day, Bokuto and Kuroo merely changing into their swimsuits while Iwaizumi and Daichi at least managed to put some sunscreen and water bottles into a bag. 

Walking out of the backdoor, there was a short stone path that almost immediately faded into the sand of the beach. To their surprise, it wasn’t crowded, a few people sitting on towels or under umbrellas here and there, some people playing catch or with frisbees. 

They didn’t have to walk too far before they found a small net set up. Bokuto and Kuroo immediately ran towards it, yelling as they did so which earned them a laugh from Daichi and a small eye roll from Iwaizumi. When they two had eventually caught up with the two of them, they were already on the other side of the net. 

“Ready to get your ass kicked?” Kuroo asked, grinning at the two. 

“No, but I’ll let you cry on my shoulder when you lose.” Iwaizumi grinned back. 

“You really are too kind, Iwaizumi. But we won’t need it.” 

“If you say so.”   
…  
The four had lost track of how long they were playing, occasionally taking breaks for water or for sunscreen. Both teams had won one set each, this game being the tie breaker. It was Kuroo’s turn to serve, both Iwaizumi and Daichi getting ready to receive it when it went soaring over both their heads, rolling down the beach behind them. 

“My bad!” Kuroo called, walking up to the net to duck under to get the ball. 

“Don’t worry, I got it.” Daichi said, waving at Kuroo before he turned around, jogging slightly. When Iwaizumi turned around, he saw Daichi being handed the volleyball by someone. He wasn’t sitting too far away, but far enough that, unless Kuroo served like that again, the volleyball wouldn’t reach him. As Daichi moved a bit, clearly caught in a friendly conversation with the other man, Iwaizumi noticed someone else next to him, laying on his stomach on a towel, a book open in front of him. When he turned his head to listen in on Daichi’s conversation, Iwaizumi immediately recognized him as the man he saw on the beach the previous night. 

He and his friend smiled and waved at Daichi as he turned around and began running back to them, and Iwaizumi turned around quickly. He was greeted with Kuroo and Bokuto grinning and was waiting for them to say something to him, but to his surprise, turned to Daichi.   
“Dude, that guy you were talking to is totally checking you out.” Kuroo teased, crossing his arms.

“He is not,” Daichi responded, placing a hand behind his head, “is he really?”

“Yep,” Bokuto cut it, staring over Daichi’s shoulder, “well now he’s reading his book again, but he watched you all the way back here.” 

Iwaizumi caught Daichi’s hesitation and debated teasing him as well, however decided against it as Daichi tossed him the ball to serve. 

“Doesn’t matter right now,” he said, brushing off Kuroo and Bokuto’s comments, “we’ve got a game to win”

Iwaizumi waited for Kuroo and Bokuto to get ready before serving the ball, resuming their game. 

They played for a while longer, Daichi and Iwaizumi winning much to Kuroo and Bokuto’s dismay. 

“Good game,” Kuroo smiled, gently shoving Daichi and Iwaizumi’s shoulders after they’d finished cheering, “we’ll get you next time.” 

The four chatted for a while, sitting in the sand to drink some water, watching the waves gently crash onto the shore. Iwaizumi looked over at Daichi for input on their conversation, however noticed the other was distracted, looking in the opposite direction then back to them multiple times.  
“Oh my _god_ , Daichi, go talk to him, you’re killing me.” Kuroo teased, falling back into the sand dramatically. 

“What? No, I-I’m hanging out with you guys.” Daichi replied, resting his chin in his hand.

“We just played volleyball for hours, and you can do what you want. Please, go talk to him, you guys have been staring back and forth at each other since you went and got the volleyball from him.” 

Daichi hesitated for a moment, looking over at the other who gave Daichi a friendly wave and a smile. 

That seemed to be all the convincing Daichi needed as he stood up. 

“Well I’ll see you guys later then. Bokuto, put some sunscreen on.” Daichi said, before waving at the three of them, turning to walk in the opposite direction. 

Daichi and Bokuto made a few comments to each other, and Iwaizumi found himself watching as Daichi walked off, sitting himself in the sand next to the other. Eventually, his friend stood up, taking his book and towel with him, taking Daichi’s arrival as his cue to leave. Iwaizumi watched as he gave the two a smile and wave before he turned on his heel to walk away. 

“Yo, Earth to Iwaizumi, are you coming with us?”

Iwaizumi snapped out of his thoughts, looking up to find Kuroo and Bokuto standing and looking down at him.

“What?”

“Swimming. Are you coming swimming? We’re going to have a race.”

“You two just want to win something today.” Iwaizumi laughed.

“Yep! Gonna kick your butt, Iwaizumi.” Bokuto cut in. 

Iwaizumi eventually stood up, running towards the water with Kuroo and Bokuto, who immediately started splashing water at each other and pushing each other over. 

Iwaizumi laughed at their antics, finding himself joining in for a bit before turning his head towards the beach. He could see Daichi talking with the guy from earlier, although his friend seemed to be gone already. Iwaizumi would be lying if he said he wasn’t disappointed, however managed to pull his attention back to swimming for the time being. 

…  
“Did you forget to reapply sunscreen, Bokuto?” Iwaizumi asked, coming downstairs after changing into some shorts and t-shirt after showering. He could hear the water on in the bathroom, knowing that Kuroo must have jumped in shortly after he left. 

“Yes, is it that bad?” Bokuto asked, turning around for Iwaizumi to see. 

Iwaizumi laughed a bit, however shook his head. Much to his surprise, Bokuto’s body wasn’t burnt, but his face was, his nose and cheeks red.

“It’s just on your face, Bokuto. Just make sure you put something on it.” Iwaizumi replied before walking into the kitchen to make dinner for them since Kuroo and Daichi made breakfast. 

He’d just finished putting everything on the table where Bokuto and Kuroo were already sitting about a half hour later when the front door opened and Daichi came in, walking to sit at the table.

“Sorry I was gone for so long.” He said, trying his best to avoid Kuroo and Bokuto’s looks, focusing his attention on Iwaizumi, saying a quick thanks for dinner.

“Well? What the hell happened?” Kuroo asked, grinning at Daichi from across the small table. 

“Not what you’re thinking, we just spend the time talking,” Daichi stated, smiling a bit. 

“Well what’s his name? You’re being very vague on your details Daichi, I’m disappointed.” 

Iwaizumi laughed a bit, sitting down and joining the other two in their staring, much to Daichi’s dismay. 

“His name is Suga and he managed to rope me into a lengthy conversation about biology.” 

Both Kuroo and Bokuto laughed, and Iwaizumi couldn’t help but smile. 

“Daichi, who hasn’t taken a science class since high school, was roped into a conversation about biology.” 

“Yes.” 

“Well, what else?” 

“He goes to the same college as us. I never would have known; I’ve never seen him.” 

“Gee, it’s almost like you guys are in two different programs and will never have class together.” 

Daichi rolled his eyes at the comment however the small smile on his face go rid of any annoyance he seemed to try and have.

“As for the rest of our conversation,” Daichi started, taking a bite of his food, “it’s none of your business.” 

Ignoring the disappointed whines coming from Bokuto and Kuroo, Iwaizumi began eating his food as well, the four falling back into friendly conversation. 

….  
They all went to bed pretty early again that night, a day in the sun and playing volleyball for most of the time having tired them out. 

Iwaizumi found himself waking up again, although was hardly bothered. It was normal for him and he easily fell back asleep afterwards.

This time, he couldn’t.

Despite the relaxing sound of the waves and the cool breeze coming from his open window, he couldn’t fall back asleep. He knew it was because his mind was wandering and he couldn’t get it to stop. 

Reaching for his phone, he checked the time and prayed it wasn’t some ungodly hour of the morning, but alas, the time read 3:11 am. 

Sighing, he pulled himself out of bed, quietly walking out onto the balcony to sit down, allowing the fresh air and the water to assist in making him tired again. 

That was until he heard talking and soft music again, this time the conversation sounding closer that the few he could barely hear the night before. 

Standing up he looked out at the water, watching as the moon reflected off of the waves for a few moments, before a small laugh moved his vision elsewhere. 

In the same spot the same man from the night before sat, this time accompanied by his friend from earlier who he remembered Daichi saying his name was Suga. The two weren’t alone either, two others sitting with them, one with blond hair, the other black. 

They seemed to be engaged in something Suga was saying, and Iwaizumi wondered if he was telling them about Daichi, or if they were talking about something else. A part of Iwaizumi wanted to stay outside, sit and listen to the water although another part feared he’d overhear a conversation that clearly wasn’t meant for his ears. 

Tiredness was starting to get the better of him anyways, and he decided it was time for bed, walking inside with only one last glace before he went back to bed.   
…  
“Iwaizumi.” 

Iwaizumi stirred a bit in his sleep to the sound of his name, the voice sounding familiar. He chose to ignore it anyways and rolled over. 

“Iwaizumi.” 

He pulled the covers over his head this time. 

“Iwaizumi.” 

This time, the covers were removed from his head, and Iwaizumi turned around, prepared to snap at whoever it was, however there stood Kuroo, already dressed for the day and holding a mug out to Iwaizumi. 

Iwaizumi mumbled a ‘thank you’ before he sat up, taking the mug from Kuroo. 

“We’re going into town for breakfast today. We’re going to leave in about twenty minutes so wakey, wakey!” 

Kuroo reached out to pat Iwaizumi’s head, his hand gently swatted away. He laughed a bit before turning around, closing the bedroom door gently behind him as he did so. 

Iwaizumi sighed, drinking his coffee and scrolling through his phone for a few minutes before he got up to get dressed and head downstairs.   
…  
“Have you been staying up late, Iwaizumi?” Daichi asked, looking across the table at Iwaizumi, a small grin on his face. 

Iwaizumi almost choked on his coffee at the comment. 

Almost. 

“No, I guess I’ve just been tired lately.” He replied, giving a shrug. He knew neither of them minded whether or not one of them slept in, but Iwaizumi hardly slept in. The fact that Kuroo and Bokuto had woken up before him two days in a row was scary, however.

“Yeah, guess we really needed a break.” 

“Tell me about it.” Kuroo yawned, looking out the window from his spot next to Iwaizumi as they waited for their food. His eyes widened a bit, and he quickly turned to Daichi, a small grin on his face.

“Hey Daichi, looks like your boyfriend is out with his friends.” 

Iwaizumi turned and looked out the window, the group that was on the beach at three in the morning were walking on the other side of the sidewalk, laughing and talking with one another, all before noon. 

“He’s not my boyfriend I literally just met him.” Daichi said.

“Whatever,” Kuroo teased, before looking to Daichi to Iwaizumi, “although I think Iwaizumi’s got a little crush on one of them.” 

Now Iwaizumi choked on his coffee. 

“What?! I do not.” 

“Don’t think we didn’t catch you staring yesterday, you were so bad at hiding it.” Kuroo teased, nudging Iwaizumi with his shoulder.

“I do not have a crush on him! I’ve seen him once and I don’t even know his name.”

Technically what he said wasn’t entirely a lie.

“Mm hm.” The three of them seemed a hum, however the arrival of their food seemed to have saved Iwaizumi from the conversation entirely.   
…  
They’d spent most of the day afterwards walking through town, visiting the various small shops that were there, and taking the time to enjoy the weather. When they got back, they hit the beach again for a quick rematch of volleyball, Kuroo and Bokuto winning the one game they played and taking the ten-minute walk back to brag about it. 

Daichi disappeared not too long after they’d had dinner, earning a few glances from Bokuto and Kuroo, however came back not too longer afterwards. 

They’d managed to stay up later than they had the past two nights as the day hadn’t been as tiring as the past two. They sat in the small living room and talked for a while, however not before Daichi explained to Kuroo and Bokuto multiple times that ‘nothing happened’ and to ‘get their minds out of the gutter’. 

By the time they’d all gone to bed, it was well past midnight, and Iwaizumi decided not to go to bed just yet. He knew he’d be up in a few hours anyways. 

After changing into his sweatpants, he picked up the book he’d brought with him and went onto the balcony, sitting down to begin reading. 

Occasionally Iwaizumi wasn’t keeping track of how much time had passed, lost in the sounds of the waves, the cool breeze, and of course, his book.

That was until a small pebble landed not too far away from his feet. 

He stared at it for a few moments, putting his book down on the arm of the chair. The only way it would have gotten there was if someone threw it. Standing up, Iwaizumi looked over the railing, about to snap something at whoever threw it, but stopped as soon as he realized who it was.   
Standing not too far away from the house was the same man Iwaizumi saw their first night there. He wasn’t sure if he was glad to see him or not, panicking slightly on the inside. It was also in that moment Iwaizumi became very aware of the fact that he didn’t have a shirt on. 

Brushing his thoughts aside, Iwaizumi leaned down to pick up the small pebble, gently tossing it back down. 

“You know,” he started, leaning forward on the railing, “throwing rocks is dangerous.” 

The other simply smiled, crossing his arms to look back up and _god_ did he have a nice smile, Iwaizumi thought to himself. 

“And you know,” the other started, the smile hardly leaving his face, “its rude to stare.” 

_Shit_. Whatever internal panic Iwaizumi was fighting was quickly getting worse as he tried to find his words, however was snapped out of his thoughts by a laugh. 

“I’m just messing with you. I noticed you’ve been out here the past couple nights. I was wondering if you’d want to come sit with me for a bit.” 

Iwaizumi hardly expected the invitation. He wanted to. Badly.

“I don’t know,” he found himself saying, “not sure how I feel about sitting on the beach with strangers. Especially one’s that throw rocks at me.” 

Whatever reaction Iwaizumi was expecting he didn’t get, as the other just kept smiling up at him. 

“I did not throw it. I tossed it. It was either that or I stand here calling out to someone who may or may not even be there, and look like an idiot talking to a house.” 

Iwaizumi smiled a bit at the comment. 

“Alright. I’ll be there in a minute.” 

Turning around, Iwaizumi went back inside as quietly as he could, quickly throwing on a shirt before walking down the stairs and out the back door. They walked out a little further than where Iwaizumi had seen him sitting the past two nights, however didn’t complain and sat down on the towel next to him. 

“I’m Iwaizumi, by the way.” Iwaizumi said, realizing they didn’t even know each other’s names. 

“Oikawa.” Oikawa said, giving Iwaizumi a small smile, turning away for a moment to place his phone next to him. There was soft music coming from it, the same music Iwaizumi heard from the first night. It wasn’t loud, and if there wasn’t a breeze to carry it to his window, Iwaizumi was sure he wouldn’t have heard it at all.

Neither of them said anything for a while. Oikawa was clearly unbothered by the silence, although Iwaizumi was itching to say something, he just didn’t know what. 

“What are you doing up so late, anyways?” he asked finally, turning his head to look at Oikawa. 

Oikawa, who seemed to be in some sort of trace, turned his head to look at Iwaizumi. 

“I like staying up late. I’ve mostly just been coming out to look at the stars, can’t really see them in the city all that much.” 

Iwaizumi nodded, finding himself tilting his head to look at the sky as well. Oikawa was right. There were tons filling the sky and not a single cloud to cover them. He’d never taken the time to look at the sky all that much before, although he knew when he got home he wouldn’t see nearly as much.

“What about you?” 

Iwaizumi shrugged at the question, turning his gaze back to the water. 

“Couldn’t really sleep. I like the sound of the waves so I’d sit outside for a while to hear them.” 

He could see Oikawa nod from his peripheral vision before his head seemed to tilt back again. 

After that the two hardly seemed to talk, the occasional question here and there. After a while, Iwaizumi grew comfortable with the silence that fell over them, merely enjoying the company and the sound of the waves. 

After a while, Iwaizumi felt himself nodding off and shook his head with a sigh. He knew if he stayed any longer, he was going to fall asleep. Reluctantly, he stood up and brushed himself off, a few grains of sand finding their way onto his clothes.

“I’m going to head to bed,” he said, looking down at Oikawa who turned to give him a smile.

_Damn that smile_. 

“Thanks for inviting me out.” He finished, hoping he didn’t sound too awkward. 

Oikawa didn’t seem to noticed and just nodded. 

“Thanks for coming out. I hope I get to see you again, Iwaizumi.” 

Iwaizumi nodded, giving a small wave before he began his short walk back, trying his best not to look back. When he eventually did, he half expected Oikawa to be watching him, but he wasn’t. Instead, his attention was back to the sky and Iwaizumi couldn’t help but take a few more moments to look at how peaceful he looked. 

Finally getting back, he opened the back door and quietly walked back up the stairs to his room, slipping under the covers and falling asleep.   
…  
“Do we have to leave?” Bokuto whined, helping Daichi bring a few small items out to the car.

“Unfortunately. Maybe we can come back next year.” 

Iwaizumi could hear their conversation from upstairs where he was packing his things and making his bed. Their weekend had come to an end and they were all disappointed. It had been a lot of fun, and definitely the break they all needed, but they needed to go home as classes began the following week. 

Picking up his bag, Iwaizumi walked down the stairs and out the front door, throwing his things into the trunk of Daichi’s car. Once everything was packed, they all piled in, Kuroo and Bokuto in the back who Iwaizumi knew would be asleep in less than ten minutes. 

“So Daichi,” Kuroo started, a michevious smile on his face as Daichi began to back out of the driveway, “are you gonna call Suga when you get home?”

“I will leave you here.” 

Iwaizumi laughed a bit, and, sure enough, Kuroo and Bokuto were asleep before they’d even left the town. It wasn’t until the morning did Iwaizumi realize he was an idiot for not asking Oikawa many questions. He didn’t even know what school he went to or if he’d even see him again. The more he thought about it though, the less it seemed to bother him. He was almost glad they hardly talked, as just the company while the two sat looking at the water and the sky was all he really wanted. 

Quickly shaking the thoughts from his head, Iwaizumi turned to look out the window, preparing himself for the city to come back into view. Soon, he wouldn’t be allowed to be distracted with such thoughts.

After all, classes for their last week of college started the following week.


	2. In Your Thoughts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit shorter than the first one but I hope you guys still enjoy it!  
> As I mentioned before I'm still not sure what kind of update schedule this is going to run on. I had a bit of time to get this chapter done, but starting this week I start an online summer course which may slow down updates temporarily.
> 
> Thank you all for reading the first chapter, as well as for the comments and Kudos! They all mean a lot! :)

Iwaizumi let out an annoyed sigh as he stared up at the ceiling of his bedroom. 

He didn’t event want to think about what ungodly hour he must have woken up at and didn’t do anything for a few moments. He attempted to close his eyes, hoping that eventually he would fall back asleep but it seemed both his body and his mind had other plans. 

Pulling himself out of bed, Iwaizumi grabbed his phone and a sweater, slipping it on before attempting to leave his room without hitting his foot on anything. Once he was out, he looked around his and Daichi’s small apartment for a few moments. Everything was quiet, the only sounds being the cars outside the window. Looking just across from his own, he saw Daichi’s bedroom door, and for a few moments he stood and stared in hopes of hearing something to say Daichi was up as well and that Iwaizumi wasn’t completely losing his mind

He heard nothing.

Turning, Iwaizumi walked past the bathroom and into their small living room, which wasn’t that far away. Their small kitchen connected with it, only a small island discerning where the kitchen ended and the living room began, their front door not too far on his other side.

Their apartment may have been small and cramped at times, but it was fine for the two of them. When they’d made the decision to live together after their first year was over, Iwaizumi knew wherever they went, if they wanted to be able to afford it, it would be small. Not that either of them minded. It wasn’t too far of a walk to campus, and it seemed to be just big enough for the two of them. 

Walking slowly through their living room in an attempt to avoid the creaky spots in the floor, Iwaizumi made it to the large window that gave them a small view of the city. It also happened to be their fire escape. 

Brushing the curtains aside, Iwaizumi unlocked the window and pushed it up, then pulled himself up and through the window until he was standing on the metal fire escape. One would think there would be nothing relaxing about a cold, metal fire escape but Iwaizumi always found himself out there whenever he was stressed, or, in this case, couldn’t sleep. 

He sat down on the stairs that lead to their upstairs neighbours apartment and took out his phone, dread seeping into him as he checked the time. 3:16am lit up his screen and Iwaizumi tilted his head back, taking a deep breath. 

To say the least, the best way to describe his week would be annoying. Only a few small things seemed to happen however they all seemed to mess with Iwaizumi’s plans for the school year. 

First, one of his classes got canceled, making him scramble to enroll in another one before they all filled up. Then, he got an email from the school reminding him he was missing some mandatory credits. Science credits, to be exact. Iwaizumi dreaded having to enroll in a science class, having not taken anything related since high school but Daichi assured him a first-year class wouldn’t be too bad. The only thing that was just slightly annoying was that it was an evening class, and Iwaizumi had spent a while planning out his schedule so he wouldn’t have any classes too late in the day.

Early classes seemed to be backfiring on him as well though, as waking up late at night and being unable to fall asleep seemed to be becoming a trend for him. When the four were on vacation, he didn’t seem to mind, but now that it was nearing 3:30 in the morning and he had a class at 8:30, it was beginning to get a little ridiculous. 

So, like he had been doing for the past week, Iwaizumi stayed there for a while, occasionally closing his eyes to listen although instead of hearing the soft sound of waves, he heard the sounds of cars and the occasional siren. Not that he minded. He’d gotten used to the loud sounds around him and found it calming most times. 

When he felt himself begin to grow tired again, Iwaizumi stood up and went back inside, slowly closing the window and locking it. He then made his way back to his room and fell into bed, falling back asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. 

…

When his alarm went off, Iwaizumi could have sworn he’d just fallen back asleep. Groaning, he reaching for his phone, pressing the screen to turn it off and just laid in bed for a few minutes. Normally he would have at least been a little excited about classes starting, especially since it was his final year, but his poor sleep was getting to him and all he wanted to do was go back to bed.

After what felt like only a few minutes, Iwaizumi managed to pull himself out of bed, grabbing the towel that was draped over his desk chair and heading to the bathroom for a shower. He tried his best to be quick, having already wasted time sleeping in a bit, but the warm water didn’t seem to be helping at all. In fact, Iwaizumi found it making him even more tired. He turned the water to cold for a few minutes, and it was enough to wake him up slightly. 

When he’d finally gotten dressed and packed his thinks, Daichi was already ready for the day, sitting on the couch on his phone. When he looked up at Iwaizumi, he raised an eyebrow.

“You look exhausted.” 

Iwaizumi said nothing and merely turned to face Daichi, staring at him from over his cup of coffee. 

When Daichi rested his head in his hand and stared back at him, he knew a series of questions were coming. 

“I’m fine, I’ve just been having some trouble sleeping.” Iwaizumi quickly cut in before Daichi had a chance to say anything.

“You sleep like a damn rock, if you’re having trouble sleeping something is definitely wrong.” 

Iwaizumi thought for a minute. Maybe Daichi was right, but nothing he could think of was bothering him too much. Sure, there had been a few issues with his classes, but mix ups with his schedule had happened before. Sure, it was annoying but it wasn’t something that would keep him up at night. Not being able to sleep was annoying too, but nothing he was worrying about. At least he didn’t think so. 

“I’m fine, really. Maybe not working for a week has thrown me off. I’m sure once this week is over, I’ll be fine.”

“If you’re sure. Now c’mon, we have to leave now if we want to get to class on time.” 

Despite it already being September, it was still slightly warm outside. Iwaizumi had thrown on the first hoodie he saw after his shower, and as he and Daichi walked, he was starting to regret it. 

They didn’t live too far away from campus, only about a twenty-minute walk on a good day. Since they had to cross a couple major intersections to get there, sometimes time was added waiting for it to be safe to cross, and in the winter, sometimes the weather delayed them. It wasn’t all that bad though. The two appreciated not having to take the bus every day, and with the amount of traffic, Daichi wanted to drive as little as possible. 

When the they arrived on campus, they had a couple minutes to spare before class and parted ways. 

Most of the time, Iwaizumi liked going to class. Sure, he had the occasional class he didn’t like but most of the time he enjoyed lectures, or at least tolerated them. 

That day, however, he wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep. 

The morning seemed to drag on and on and it took every ounce of strength he had in him not to fall asleep in class. When he’d finished his two classes for the day, it was just before three, leaving him still so much time in the day. He debated going home so that he could immediately fall asleep, then remembered he was supposed to meet with Daichi, Kuroo, and Bokuto. 

Sighing, he stood up from where he was still sitting in the mostly empty classroom, and made his way through the halls towards the courtyard. He walked around for a few moments in an attempt to located everyone, and when he spotted them sitting at one of the many benches placed outside, he walked over. 

Before anyone could say anything, Iwaizumi dropped his bag on the table and sat down, immediately resting his head on it. 

“Well hello to you too,” Kuroo said, grinning at him from his spot across the table, “you look like shit.” 

“Fuck off.” 

“Well someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today.” 

“He doesn’t even look like he went to bed.” Bokuto added, reaching over to poke Iwaizumi’s shoulder as if he was checking to see if he was still alive. 

Iwaizumi just groaned, pulling his head up to face them, squinting a bit as the sun got in his eyes. 

“I just couldn’t sleep, that’s all,” Iwaizumi said, brushing Bokuto’s hand away before resting his head back on his backpack. 

“You seem like you haven’t been able to sleep for over a week.” Daichi said. 

“I’m fine.” 

“Maybe someone’s thinking about you.” Kuroo added, and Iwaizumi could practically feel the grin on Kuroo’s face.

Iwaizumi’s head shot up, looking across at Kuroo.

“What?” 

“You know what they say, if you can’t fall asleep it means someone’s thinking about you. Or dreaming about you,” Kuroo replied, his grin getting bigger, “or better yet maybe you’re thinking of someone. Something you want to tell us, Iwaizumi?” 

Iwaizumi just stared at Kuroo, mouth slightly agape. He knew he had to say something stupid. 

“What? That’s ridiculous, do you really believe that? Besides, who in their right mind is thinking about me at three o’clock in the morning? Who is even awake at three o’clock in the morning?” 

As soon as he finished speaking, Iwaizumi could only think of one person who would willingly be awake at three am. But even then, the whole thing was ridiculous. They hardly knew each other and barely spoke. There was also no way anything Kuroo was saying was true. Other people’s thoughts didn’t affect your sleep. That was stupid. 

“I dunno, maybe you’ve got a secret admirer, Iwaizumi.” 

“And maybe you’re being an idiot.”

“Just read one of your boring business textbooks. Those will put anyone to sleep.”

Iwaizumi could hardly wait to get home at that point. 

…

As the week went by, Iwaizumi hardly saw any changes. In fact, he was convinced his sleeping habits were getting worse. Every time he woke up, he found it took longer to fall back asleep. Not only that, but Kuroo’s words seemed to stick in the back of his mind which annoyed him more, given how stupid the entire thing was. 

But still, when he’d woken up again, Iwaizumi found himself either staring at his ceiling or the building across the street for longer periods of time. He’d even begin to let his thoughts wander, which he learned was a mistake. He began to constantly think about almost everything that came to mind. Sometimes, some of his random thoughts would leave him as quickly as they came. Things like assignment or what time he wanted to get up the next day. Some things stuck with him and wouldn’t leave. 

Oikawa was one of them. 

Iwaizumi was almost annoyed with himself. The fact that he was thinking about someone he hardly knew and who he would most likely never see again, was bothering him. 

No, it was _annoying_ him. 

Of all the things to keep him up at night, that was one of them. Yet still, he let his mind wander and thought about Kuroo’s words, wondering if Oikawa was having the same problem. Iwaizumi assumed the other was probably awake, as he always saw him up late at night when Iwaizumi found himself unable to sleep. Still, maybe Oikawa liked to stay up late, but Iwaizumi sure as hell didn’t. 

Besides, there’s no way he’s actually thinking of me Iwaizumi thought. Despite how ridiculous Kuroo’s suggestion was, it seemed to be something Iwaizumi was hanging onto, as it seemed to be the only thing that could explain at the moment what was going on. It was a placeholder explanation, not that Iwaizumi even believed it was true. 

The only thing that slightly eased his mind at that moment was knowing he could sleep in tomorrow. Despite originally being annoyed with having to take an evening class on a Friday, Iwaizumi was suddenly grateful. Although it didn’t make up for every other day of the week when he had to be up early. 

Eventually, as his routine seemed to go, Iwaizumi grew tired again after almost an hour, and managed to fall back asleep. 

…

When he got to class at five pm that evening, Iwaizumi immediately went to the back in attempt to find a seat as far away from the front as possible.

Being a first-year class, they were in a rather large lecture theatre, many of the seats already taken, and from what Iwaizumi could see, only a few other people his year in the class. It was a first-year class, and he, a fourth-year student, set to be graduating soon, was dreading it the most. 

It was a science class after all, and Iwaizumi could hardly remember what he’d learned in high school. Once the class started, however, Iwaizumi started to remember a few things as their professor spoke, but still knew he’d have to spend more time than he wished studying for the class. 

When the class finally ended, Iwaizumi let out a sigh of relief, throwing his things into his back pack and checking his phone. It was just before eight and a text from Daichi that told him Kuroo and Bokuto would be coming over for a bit. 

From where his classroom was located, he decided to take a shortcut through the courtyard. There were still a few students lingering around, however since the sun was setting various lights had turned on.

As he walked, Iwaizumi noticed someone coming his direction and began to move to get out of their way. He took a couple steps to the side, however his head shot back up at the person walking towards him. Their head was down, looking at their phone however from what parts of his face he could see, Iwaizumi was sure he recognized him. 

_There’s no way_ he thought, however still found himself stopping in his tracks. 

“Oikawa?” he asked, and found himself instantly regretting it as soon as the other person stopped, looking up at him. 

For a split-second Iwaizumi had thought he’d misjudged who it was. It almost didn’t look like him, given that Oikawa was now wearing glasses and had switched the graphic t-shirt he’d met him in for a simple button up shirt. 

But when Oikawa gave him a small smile, he knew instantly he hadn’t misjudged. 

“Iwa-chan, I didn’t know you went to school here.”

Whatever surprise was on Iwaizumi’s face immediately left him, and was replaced with slight annoyance.

“That’s not my name.” 

“No, it isn’t, but it is a nickname,” Oikawa replied, the small smile still on his face, “did you just get out of class?” 

Iwaizumi didn’t say anything for a moment, and just sighed lightly. Of course, Oikawa would come up with a dumb nickname for him. Even though they hadn’t talked much, it just felt like something he would do. 

“Yeah, what about you?”

“Yeah, I’m a TA for one of the first-year science classes. We were supposed to be done at seven but it went a little longer than that. Good thing it did though.” 

Iwaizumi was almost grateful that the sun had began to go down, as even the few lights that were outside were dim enough to cover the slight blush that had crept onto his face. Before he could say anything though, Oikawa continued.

“I’ve gotta go, but it was nice seeing you again, Iwa-chan.” 

Iwaizumi was about to correct Oikawa again, but he already began walking away. 

“You too.”

His entire walk home, Iwaizumi was mentally kicking himself for many reasons.

For starters, he felt like an idiot. Oikawa and Suga were clearly friends, and when Daichi had told them Suga attended the same college as them, he should have figured that included Oikawa too. 

Secondly, he found himself wishing the two could have talked longer, which he couldn’t understand why. Sure, maybe Iwaizumi wanted to be friends, but if that was the case he wouldn’t be thinking about it this much. 

When he finally set foot in his and Daichi’s apartment, he saw Bokuto, Kuroo, and Daichi were all in the living room, talking with one another. 

Setting his bag down, Iwaizumi walked over, sitting down on the couch next to Daichi, listening as the three finished their conversation. 

“How was class?” Daichi asked.

“Boring,” Iwaizumi sighed, tilting his head back to lean against the couch, “remember that guy that was with Suga on the beach that day?”

Daichi raised an eyebrow at the sudden topic change, but nodded.

“Yeah, what about him?”

“I ran into him after class.”

“I fucking knew it,” Kuroo cut in, earning Iwaizumi’s attention, “I knew you had a crush on one of them, why didn’t you just say so?”

“I _do not_ have a crush on him!” Iwaizumi shot back, crossing his arms as he looked at Kuroo, “I literally just met him!”

“Liar, you totally talked to him while we were at the beach, didn’t you?”

“You were staring at him after we finished playing volleyball, and you made it so obvious.” Bokuto added.

“Okay! I talked to him once, but that doesn’t mean I like him like that!” Iwaizumi said, looking form Kuroo to Bokuto.

“Maybe he’s the one thinking about you. Or maybe, your thoughts of him are keeping both of you awake.” Kuroo teased.

No matter how much he defended himself, Iwaizumi knew this would be a topic of conversation for most of the night. He denied all his friends’ allegations, and when the topic finally changed, he couldn’t have been more grateful. 

Still when he went to bed that night, he laid awake for a while as Kuroo seemed to have gotten into his head. No matter how many times he told himself it was ridiculous, the more he seemed to think about everything.

Eventually, he decided that Kuroo was in fact, being dramatic about the whole thing, and managed to fall asleep. 

Besides, there was no way your own thoughts had any control over whether someone slept or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! :)


	3. Late Night Thoughts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've planned to have this told from Iwaizumi's perspective, however the occasional chapter will be told from Oikawa's perspective. This is one of them!  
> Please let me know what you think :)  
> Once again thank you for all the comments and kudos, as well as for reading. It means a lot :)

The weeks leading up to the beginning of classes seemed to pass in a blur for Oikawa. He didn’t have much to do, aside from responding to the occasional email, and spent the majority of his time doing a whole lot of nothing. 

Every night as he always seemed to do, Oikawa stayed up late. What he did during the late night and early hours of the morning varied; sometimes he’d spend his time going through the vast number of books he kept in his small studio apartment, other times he burned through an entire television series, sometimes two. 

Most of the time however, he laid in bed or on his couch with his headphones over his ears. He’d lay like that for a while as various songs played, only moving elsewhere when his position became uncomfortable. 

What he did didn’t really matter. Oikawa just liked to stay up late. It wasn’t like he couldn’t have normal sleep schedule. He could fix it whenever he wanted to, or so he told himself. There was just something about the late night that he liked, and so he woke up late in the day and stayed up late into the night. 

It did feel lonely sometimes. Oikawa lived alone, and occasionally during his late-night television sessions or when he was half way through a book, he’d hear loud laughter from outside, or the sound of music from a nearby bar or club. Despite being on the fifth floor of his building, he could still hear the ends of stranger’s conversations as they walked home from a night out, or lingered outside of the building. It was a strange feeling knowing he wasn’t the only one awake so late in the night, yet sometimes the feeling of loneliness crept up on him. 

The night before his classes started, Oikawa decided he was bored of being in his apartment. It was 11:00 pm, and seeing as his first class didn’t start until 2:00pm the next day, he knew he wouldn’t be going to bed for a while. 

Putting his headphones on, Oikawa left his apartment and made his way down the stairs and outside. There was a slight breeze however it didn’t make Oikawa cold. In the next few weeks, fall would creep up and bring colder nights and days, so he had to keep hold of the last remaining bit of summer while he still could. 

Walking down the street, Oikawa tuned out most of the noise around him with his music, only the occasional sound of a car horn managing to make its way to his ears. He walked for a while, having become familiar with the part of the city where he lived. He couldn’t count the amount of times he’d gone out for late night walks, and swears he’s covered every square inch of the area. Sometimes he debates walking further, outside of the route he knows, but he often finds himself zoning out most of the time, letting his body run on auto pilot leaving no room for a change of route. 

When he makes it back to his apartment, Oikawa feels better knowing he didn’t spend the entire night in his small apartment. His long walk even made him slightly tired, and he wondered if he’d actually go to sleep slightly earlier that night. 

He doesn’t.

Instead, he spends the time on his laptop, going through various emails and shopping online for things he knows he isn’t going to buy. 

He makes it to bed before he can see the sun but he doesn’t need to check the time to know it’ll be rising soon.

…

When Oikawa wakes up, its not to the sound of his alarm but to the sound of his phone ringing. Reaching next to him, he picks it off of his bed, placing it to his ear before checking who it was. 

“Hello?” 

“You forgot we were going to meet for coffee, didn’t you?” 

Pulling his phone away from his ear, Oikawa checks the time and notes its 12:30 pm. He was supposed to meet Suga for noon. Sighing, he puts his phone back to his ear. 

“It may have slipped my mind, yes.” 

Suga laughs a bit on the other end of the phone, and Oikawa smiles tiredly to himself. He knew Suga wouldn’t be mad, although he still feels a little guilty himself.

“I knew you probably stayed up late so I brought you coffee. I’m outside your door.” 

Oikawa sits up at that. 

“You’re what?”

“Outside. As in standing in the hallway outside of your apartment, Oikawa. I also know you probably forgot to lock the door last night, so I’m coming in.” 

Sure enough, Oikawa hears the front door open and close as Suga walks in. Pulling himself out of bed, Oikawa walks only a few steps to his small living room as his apartment was quite literally a single room, aside form the bathroom. Suga was in the kitchen only a few feet away, leaning on  
the counter and holding a coffee out, grinning a bit. 

Sighing, Oikawa runs a hand through his hair before taking the coffee from Suga.

“Thanks,” he sighed, “sorry, I must’ve forgotten to set my alarm last night.” 

Suga just gave him a smile, walking over to sit on the couch. 

“Really, its fine,” he assured him, before looking Oikawa up and down, “you should really get dressed though. We should probably leave soon.” 

Looking down at himself, Oikawa he was still in sweatpants and a t-shirt, and seeing as their commute to class was about a half an hour, he really should get ready. 

He walked over to where his bed was, the only thing separating where his bed was being a rather large bookshelf. It at least made it seem like he had a bedroom. 

“What’re you smiling at?” Oikawa asked, turning around to look at Suga after he’d picked his clothes from his dresser. 

Suga didn’t look up from his phone and waved his hand. 

“Nothing.” 

“Oh, come _on_ what is it?” Oikawa asked as he began to get dressed. Suga couldn’t see him from where he was, but he could practically feel the grin on his best friend’s face. “Is it that guy from last week?”

“Maybe,” Suga replied, although Oikawa knew it was true. 

“And?”

“Nothing’s happening, we’re just friends, don’t worry.” 

“Boring. Not the response I wanted to hear, Suga.” 

Once he had gotten dressed, Oikawa quickly brushed his hair and threw a few things in his backpack, walking out to sit in the living room with Suga.

“Sorry to disappoint,” Suga teased, putting his phone away when Oikawa sat next to him, “he goes to the same college as us.” 

Now that caught Oikawa’s attention.

“All his friends he was with last week do too.” 

That really caught Oikawa’s attention. 

On their way home the previous week, Oikawa had told his friends all about his late-night conversations with Iwaizumi. Despite the fact that the two didn’t speak a whole lot, Oikawa thoroughly enjoyed the other’s company. It felt nice having someone to be with at that time, even if they didn’t say much. 

“Do they, now?”

“I knew that’d get your attention,” Suga grinned, standing up and picking his bag up, “I know you like one of his friends.” 

Oikawa stood up as well, putting his bag over his shoulder as he followed Suga out the door, locking it behind him.

“It’s not like _that_.” Oikawa insists as they walk down the sidewalk. 

“Mm hm, is that why you talked about him for at least twenty minutes on our drive back here?” 

Oikawa opened his mouth to speak, however closed it not too long after. He knew he wasn’t winning this debate with Suga, not that he’d won many in the first place.

Suga seemed to realize this too, and smiled all too proudly as they walked.

“That’s what I thought.” 

Oikawa rolled his eyes and playfully shoved Suga’s shoulder, earning a laugh from the other. 

Now that he really thought of it, in that week, Oikawa had been thinking about Iwaizumi a lot. As weird as it sounded, seeing as he barely knew the guy. Yet still, their brief interaction still stuck with him. In the times he felt lonely in his apartment, Oikawa wondered a few times if Iwaizumi was awake at the odd hours of the morning as well, as he’d been that weekend. He wondered if he felt the same way Oikawa did, enjoying the night yet pushing back the lingering feeling of loneliness. 

Shaking his head slightly, Oikawa focused his attention back to what Suga was telling him, hardly realizing he had zoned out. 

….  
The day went by rather quick, despite Oikawa being in class for six hours. As his classes ended late, he got home closer to 9:00 pm. When he did, he placed his backpack on his bed before he went to his kitchen to make something for dinner. After eating, Oikawa pulled his laptop out of his backpack and sighed heavily as he opened it.

In the near thirty minutes it took him to get home, Oikawa already had five new emails. Opening a few, he realized it was course material for his Friday class. Well, not necessarily his class, just the class he happened to be a teaching assistant in. 

Originally, Oikawa had no classes on Friday, however when the position for a teaching assistant opened up last minute for a first year science class, a few of his professors practically begged him to apply for the position, saying something along the lines of ‘You’ll be great at it’ and ‘It’ll look good on you transcript.’ 

Seeing as Oikawa didn’t exactly have a plan for after he graduated, he figured it wouldn’t hurt to have some kind of experience. Most of Oikawa’s friends had chosen a specific field to study, and Oikawa had a plan to do the same, however here he was in his final year, still in the general science program. 

Not that there was anything wrong with his program. Oikawa loved it. He could study any field of science he wanted and it was all credited towards his degree. Still, the thought of not specializing in a specific field lingered in the back of his mind, and Oikawa wondered what he would do when he graduated often.

Pushing the thought to the side for the time being, Oikawa opened the various attachments he was sent and told to read to familiarize himself with the lesson on Friday. 

Those attachments just so happened to be well over a hundred pages. 

Looking at the time, Oikawa knew he had nothing better to do until he decided to go to bed, and began reading. 

…

The week went by quickly, much to Oikawa’s surprise. To him, the first week of class always seemed to go on forever seeing as most student’s minds still wanted to believe that it was still summer. 

At the moment, Oikawa was rummaging through his dresser in an attempt to find something to wear. He figured he shouldn’t wear his typical graphic t-shirt and jeans, so matter how much he wanted to. 

When he finally got changed into a dress shirt and black jeans, Oikawa sighed. He hated wearing dress shirts, and this happened to be the only one he owned. He figured someone may notice if he wore the same outfit every week, and made the mental note to buy a couple more.  
Putting on his glasses and grabbing his bag, Oikawa left his apartment. 

The class was late, starting at five and ending at seven giving Oikawa most of the day, or at least a few hours depending on when he woke up, to do what he wanted. A part of him still wished he’d kept his Friday’s free, however another part knew this was something good for him to do. He just hoped the professor he was working with wouldn’t be too much of a jerk.

He arrived a little early, noticing the class room was empty with the exception of someone who he assumed was the professor, writing something on the board at the front of the class. 

When he noticed Oikawa standing in the doorway, he walked over, giving Oikawa a smile. 

“You must be Oikawa Tooru,” he said, holding his hand out which Oikawa shook, “I’m Professor Takeda.” 

“It’s nice to meet you.” Oikawa said, following Professor Takeda over to his desk. 

“I’m glad that you’re here. The college messed up a bit and allowed more people to take the class than what should be allowed, but they didn’t want to kick anyone out. Without your help I’d probably be drowning in work for this class.” 

Oikawa opened his mouth to speak, however Professor Takeda continued, clearly a bit stressed about the whole situation.

“Sorry about all the work I sent you for this week. I felt bad putting all that on you considering you have work for your other classed, but the next couple weeks shouldn’t be as bad!” 

Oikawa almost felt a little bad for assuming the professor would be rude. Professor Takeda seemed like one of the nicest professors the college had.

“It’s fine, really, I don’t mind,” Oikawa replied, smiling a bit. 

A few students began to file into the classroom, and Professor Takeda let out a sigh of relief. 

“Thank you. I really appreciate your help. I don’t need you to help teach anything today so you can set up at the front of the class. If I ever need you to present anything, I’ll try to let you know in advance.” 

Oikawa just nodded, picking his bag up and walking to the front row of seats, setting his laptop up at the end. 

Maybe his Friday’s weren’t going to be as bad as he thought. 

…

When the class ended, Oikawa packed his things up and waited for everyone else to leave. This took longer than he expected, as many students went up to both him and Professor Takeda after class, with questions regarding just about everything. 

When everyone had finally left, Professor Takeda went over a few things with him about marking assignments and tests, however still said he’d send it all in an email later. 

When Oikawa finally left the class room he made his way through the courtyard. Normally he would have enjoyed the walk through, however his eyes were glued to his phone as despite the many students staying behind to ask questions, a few students had still emailed him with other questions they’d thought of after they’d left. 

“Oikawa?”

A familiar voice snapped Oikawa out of his daze and he looked up to see no other than Iwaizumi standing in front of him. 

Oikawa internally panicked. He knew from Suga that Iwaizumi attended school here, however he wasn’t expecting to run into him now of all times. Especially when Oikawa felt he looked ridiculous. 

Still, he managed to give Iwaizumi a small smile, pushing his internal panic aside. 

“Iwa-chan, I didn’t know you went to school here.”

That was a lie, but it was the quickest thing he could think of.

“That’s not my name.”

Of course, Oikawa knew this, however not long after he’d said goodnight to Iwaizumi the night, they’d met he came up with the nickname. This was just his first opportunity to use it. 

“No, it isn’t, but it is a nickname,” Oikawa replied, the small smile still on his face, “did you just get out of class?”

“Yeah, what about you?”

“Yeah, I’m a TA for one of the first-year science classes. We were supposed to be done at seven but it went a little longer than that. Good thing it did though.”

Oikawa wanted to say he hadn’t meant for the last part of his sentence to come out flirty, but he knew he’d be lying to himself if he did. 

“I’ve gotta go, but it was nice seeing you again, Iwa-chan.” Oikawa said, giving Iwaizumi another smile. As much as he’d love to stay and chat, he wanted nothing more than to go home and change. That and respond to the various emails that were still coming in through his phone. 

“You too.” Iwaizumi said, and with that, they parted ways. 

It took a lot for Oikawa not to turn back and watch Iwaizumi walk away, but he managed as he finally made it to the other side of the courtyard.

…

When he finally got home, Oikawa wasted no time changing into his sweatpants, finally taking off the uncomfortable outfit he’d been wearing for the past three hours. 

Laying on his stomach, he opened his laptop in front of him and responded to the various questions he was being asked. They weren’t as bad as he thought, many people just wanting clarification on a few assignments.

Oikawa finished that task quicker than he expected. He was tired, but he knew his body didn’t want to sleep yet. Quite frankly, he didn’t want to either. 

So, he stayed up, as he always did. He found a movie to watch on his laptop, however spent most of it on his phone or day dreaming. He knew he wasn’t the only one in the city awake, however he was only wondering what one specific person could possibly be doing at that hour. Maybe he stayed up and did nothing like Oikawa did sometimes. Maybe he was doing homework or reading.

Oikawa hoped he would find out sooner rather than later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Takeda isn't a science teacher, but he is nooooowwww.  
> Thank you for reading!


	4. Forced Socialization

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I apologize for the delayed update. I just finished my summer course about two weeks ago, and after having to write a couple papers a week, I was feeling really unmotivated to write.   
> I rewrote a few parts of this chapter multiple times and after almost a week of rewriting and editing it, it is ready! It is a bit shorter than the previous chapters but they'll get longer as the story continues.   
> Thank you to everyone who left comments, kudos, or read this. Your support means a lot <3

“I have class tonight.” 

Daichi rolled his eyes and sat down on the seat across from Iwaizumi in their living room. 

“Iwaizumi, your class ends at eight, and for a Friday night that’s early,” Daichi stated, “besides, it’s been two weeks since you’ve gone anywhere besides class.”

Iwaizumi sighed. As much as he hated to admit it, Daichi was right. It was nearing the end of September already and he hadn’t done much besides go to class and do work all day and night. It helped in keeping him caught up with his work, but other forms of social interaction with people who weren’t your roommate was probably necessary. 

Yet still, Iwaizumi still couldn’t bring himself to want to go out that night. Earlier Daichi had mentioned that Suga and his friends were going out for drinks and had invited them all to come along. It sounded nice, but so did going to bed the second he got home. 

“C’mon, Iwaizumi, it’ll be fun! Besides, it wouldn’t hurt to make some new friends.”

Iwaizumi had stopped typing on his laptop and just stared at the screen as he thought over his answer. Daichi had hit an unexpected nerve within him at the mention of making new friends. It’s not that he didn’t have any, it was just that he never branched out from his own group. Daichi, Kuroo, and Bokuto all had other friends outside of each other, but Iwaizumi really only had them. It’s not that he didn’t want other friends. He just found them hard to make. 

Eventually he sighed and closed his laptop, looking back up at Daichi.

“Fine, I’ll go,” Iwaizumi replied, packing his laptop away in his bag, “but only if you stop asking!” 

“I knew you’d come around.” 

“Only because you won’t shut up about it.”

Daichi only hummed in response as he got up to leave the room, and Iwaizumi took that as his cue to leave as well. If he didn’t leave soon, he’d be late for sure. 

When Iwaizumi stepped outside, the cold breeze that hit him served as a reminder that the warm days of summer were over and the months would only start to get colder. Although Iwaizumi enjoyed his time during the school year with his friends, he always looked forward to the warmer months of summer. This time, however, looking ahead felt strange. He and his friends had just spent their last summer as college students. The next time summer rolled around; they’d be graduates. 

That was the plan, at least. The test Iwaizumi now held in his hand with the number _53_ written on top in red pen said otherwise. 

It’s not like he wasn’t trying. He couldn’t even begin to count the number of hours he’d put into studying and doing homework just for this one science class, but alas, his grade spoke otherwise. 

Had he not been stuck in a lecture theatre full of students, Iwaizumi would have let out a long sigh of frustration, but instead opted for shoving his test in his backpack without a second glance. 

When his class finally ended, Iwaizumi wanted nothing more than to go home and do nothing for the rest of the night, but a text from Daichi reminded him that he did, in fact, have plans. 

As if he already didn’t want to go out, class seemed to have put Iwaizumi in an even worse mood from before. The last thing he wanted to do was go out now, especially if it involved meeting new people. 

“You look thrilled.”

Having been lost in thought, Iwaizumi hardly noticed the person leaning against the wall across from his classroom. Oikawa gave him a smile before turning his attention back to his phone, clearly preoccupied with it. 

Blaming it on his tired an annoyed state, Iwaizumi found himself staring for a few moments. Oikawa’s jacket was undone, revealing a dark blue button up underneath. The light from his phone reflected in the lenses of his glasses, and Iwaizumi could see his brows furrowed slightly. Whatever he was doing must have been important. He looked so professional. 

Also, unfairly attractive. 

“Sorry about that,” Oikawa suddenly said, snapping Iwaizumi from his dazed state.

“Didn’t your class end an hour ago?” Iwaizumi asked. 

“Technically, yes, but I only got out twenty minutes ago.”

“Were you waiting for me?”

“I’m so glad you brought that up, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa smiled, “you see, I’ve been entrusted with the task of making sure you come out tonight, as I am also being forced to socialize. Why Suga would send me, someone who also doesn’t want to go out, to get you is beyond me.” 

Iwaizumi almost smiled at the comment. If Suga sent Oikawa, that meant that Daichi asked him to. Not that he was surprised. 

“God, Daichi is persistent,” Iwaizumi sighed, “let’s go then.”

“You sound so excited, Iwa-chan.” 

“That’s not my name.”

“No, but haven’t you ever heard of a nickname?” 

Iwaizumi just rolled his eyes and began walking away. 

“So mean, Iwa-chan. I even waited for you!” Oikawa whined, quickly catching up with him. 

“Well you better hurry up, than.” 

Their walk was nice, much to Iwaizumi’s surprise. Seeing as the two hardly knew each other, he was expecting it to feel awkward, but they managed some small talk on the way. 

When they arrived at the small café they were meeting at, Iwaizumi smiled a bit to himself. He and his friends went there every now and then when the four hadn’t met up in a bit. It made Iwaizumi feel slightly better about the fact that it wasn’t just going to be him and his friends there now. 4

When they walked inside, Iwaizumi immediately noticed how warm it was. Despite the fact that it was only the end of September, he found it rather cold outside, so the warm atmosphere was more than welcome. 

There weren’t many people, the occasional person scattered here and there. Most appeared to be students with various textbooks and notes scattered around them. It had hardly been a month since the semester started, but even Iwaizumi knew how quickly work piled up. 

“Well look who showed up! We thank you two for gracing us with your presence.” 

Looking across to a table, Iwaizumi saw Kuroo and moved towards him, taking one of the two empty seats at the table. 

“You knew I had class.” Iwaizumi replied, taking his jacket off as he sat down. 

“I did,” Kuroo said, pushing a cup of coffee towards him, “and on a Friday night no less. How unfortunate.” 

“Shut up.” 

Only giving a grin in response, Kuroo turned his attention back to someone else. 

On any other day, Iwaizumi would have been opposed to having coffee so late at night. How his friends were able to sleep right after was beyond him, and he was often the front of many of Kuroo’s ‘old man’ jokes. 

Picking up his coffee, Iwaizumi took a sip and glanced across the table at Oikawa. He had his chin rested on his hand as he looked at Suga, who appeared to be in the middle of telling an elaborate story to the group. Now that he could see him closer, Iwaizumi noted how Oikawa looked just as tired as he felt. Despite looking effortlessly attractive, Iwaizumi noted how Oikawa continued to look at Suga, despite the fact that the other had stopped talking.

Shaking his head, Iwaizumi set his mug down.

“You look tired,” he commented, “being a TA already got you worn out?”

Oikawa turned his head to look at Iwaizumi and gave him a small smile. 

“Something like that,” Oikawa said, “and what about you, Iwa-chan, you didn’t look too thrilled leaving your class today.”

Iwaizumi sighed. 

“I’m not exactly doing well in it. All I really need to do is pass but it seems to be harder than I thought.” 

“What class is it?”

“Introduction to General Science.” 

“Really?” 

Looking back up from his drink, Iwaizumi could have sworn Oikawa looked _excited_. 

“Yeah.” 

“I could help you if you want,” Oikawa said, “I’m in the science program anyways. Besides, it’s probably just high school stuff.” 

Iwaizumi let out another defeated sigh. Daichi said the same thing and yet here he was, barely passing his tests. 

“Thanks for the reminder,” Iwaizumi mumbled, “are you sure though? Aren’t you already busy enough?” 

“I don’t mind.”

…

They all stuck around for a while, and after some quick introductions, Iwaizumi met Oikawa and Suga’s other two friends, Tsukishima and Akaashi. They seemed pretty quiet, but from what Iwazimu gathered, were still rather nice. In his opinion, anyone who could put up with Kuroo and Bokuto’s antics was bound to be. 

After a couple hours, they all parted ways and Daichi and Iwaizumi walked back to their apartment together.

“Suga’s friends seem pretty nice,” Iwaizumi said, kicking his shoes off, “although for a moment I though Kuroo was going to get killed. We should be thankful Tsukishima spared him.”

“We should,” Daichi smiled, “I’m glad you came.”

“Well you did get Suga to send Oikawa after me.” 

“I didn’t think you’d mind,” Daichi said, giving Iwaizumi a small smile, “besides, you two seem to get along well. I know you’re not really friends yet but you seem…surprisingly comfortable around him.”

“I guess,” Iwaizumi said, waving his hand dismissively, “anyways, I’m going to bed. Night.” 

Closing his bedroom door behind him, Iwaizumi dropped his bag to the ground and changed into sweatpants. He knew he wasn’t going to fall asleep anytime soon, but he was still tired enough to want to lie down. 

As he looked aimlessly through his phone, Daichi’s words played back in his head. As much as Iwaizumi hated to admit it, Daichi was right. It took him a while to warm up to people, and yet despite having only spoken to Oikawa a few times, he really did feel slightly at ease around him. Sure, his slight arrogance and smugness was slightly annoying, but even then, Iwaizumi had a feeling that’s not who Oikawa really was. 

Pulling up Oikawa’s contact on his phone, Iwaizumi stared at it for a few moments. They’d exchanged numbers before they left since, must to Iwaizumi’s dismay, Oikawa was going to help him with his science work and told him to text him whenever he was available. 

It almost felt strange. Iwaizumi was a stranger when they’d met, and yet Oikawa still wanted to talk to him. Even know, they hardly knew each other and Oikawa was going to put time aside to help him. 

Shutting his phone off, Iwaizumi buried his face in his pillow and sighed. He just needed to get through the school year and pass. Then, he could graduate and be done with it. 

He just hoped he wouldn’t fall for someone in the process.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	5. A Science Lesson

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took a little longer than I wanted, however a bit of research was required to write it.  
> Just a little disclaimer, although I did some research in order to write some parts of this, I am currently studying history, so science is not my strong suit.  
> Nevertheless, I hope you all enjoy this chapter! If anyone is a science major, please go easy on me haha.  
> As well I've planned the next update date for this! The next chapter will be up on July 27th! :) I have a small update regarding this story with that chapter and more tags will be added then as well!  
> Once again, thank you to everyone who read, commented, or left kudos! I really appreciate it :)  
> *UPDATE*  
> Hey everyone! I'm really sorry with the delay in an update. I know I planned for a couple weeks ago, but unfortunately, life happens :( I've been going through a bit of a tough time right now, as well as working more hours and trying to move into a new place. I hope you all understand. I will be updating as soon as I can. Thank you to everyone who read this, left comments, or left kudos. It means a lot to me.  
> Thank you again. You're all amazing and I hope to see you soon :)

The sound of rumbling thunder in the distance caused Iwaizumi to stir in his sleep, eventually opening his eyes. His room was still dark, and hardly any light was making its way in through his window. The sound of rain came next, gently tapping on the glass before picking up speed and getting louder. 

Iwaizumi was hardly surprised by the storm. The day before had been windy and cloudy, and seeing as it hadn’t rained in a while, it seemed to be time. The sound of the rain and thunder seemed to drown out the sound of anything else, and for a moment Iwaizumi debated going back to sleep. After checking his phone, however, he decided against it as it was already nearing noon. Regardless of the fact that it was a Saturday, he was well aware of how poor his sleep schedule had become, and succumbing to the desire to sleep in any longer wasn’t going to help it. 

Pulling himself out of bed, Iwaizumi pulled the curtain aside before the temptation to go back to sleep settled in anymore. Afterwards he made his way to the kitchen, prepared the find Daichi somewhere and hear a comment about his sleeping habits. Daichi was nowhere to be found, however, and a quick glance to the door where his shoes and coat were missing confirmed that. 

As he began making his coffee, Iwaizumi found himself wondering where Daichi would have gone. It wasn’t unlike him to go out frequently, but Iwaizumi couldn’t think of any reason to want to go out in a storm. He had a sneaking suspicion, but brushed it aside once he was done making his coffee, taking it back to his room. 

Sitting at his desk, Iwaizumi opened his laptop and began checking his email. Once he’d responded to the few that were there and cleared his inbox, he was already finished his coffee and feeling seriously unmotivated. Blaming his lack of motivation on the weather, he placed his laptop on his bed and crouched by the small bookcase by his desk. Instead of using it for his textbooks, which were scattered across his desk, it was full of various DVDs that he had been collecting since he was a kid. 

Selecting a random one, he started it on his laptop and laid back down in his bed. He was hardly paying attention though, his laptop open by his feet, the sound hardly audible over the rain and soft thunder. It was a peaceful sound. Calming, even. It reminded him of the gentle waves at the beach that seemed to take his mind off just about anything. 

Closing his eyes, Iwaizumi placed his hands behind his head and just listened. He focused on the sounds of the rain hitting the window, and even the occasional car driving through a puddle. 

The chime of a message on his phone brought him out of his daze, too soon for his liking. Sighing, Iwaizumi opened the message, assuming it was Daichi, however a new name appeared on his screen. 

[Oikawa] 12:32 pm  
_Hey, what are you doing later?_

Iwaizumi sat up and stared at his phone for a few moments. Yesterday they’d exchanged numbers because Oikawa offered to help him study for his science class, but he hardly expected a text so soon. Another message came shortly after. 

[Oikawa] 12:33 pm  
_Wanna go to the library to study? ;)_

Iwaizumi could have sworn his mind short circuited for a moment. The fact that Oikawa was using a _winking face_ and the word ‘study’ in the same sentence annoyed him slightly. What could possibly be fun about it?

Sadly, he also found it kind of adorable. 

[Iwaizumi] 12:34 pm  
_On a Saturday?_

[Oikawa] 12:34 pm  
_C’mon Iwa-chan, it’ll be funnnn. Why, do you have other plans you’re not telling me about? :(_

Iwaizumi sighed. He really didn’t have an excuse as his plans for the day consisted of a movie marathon, and maybe some homework if he truly felt motivated. The frowning face in Oikawa’s text also had him feeling guilty for some reason. Damn him. 

[Iwaizumi] 12:35 pm  
_Okay, fine. When?_

[Oikawa] 12:35 pm  
_7:30. Don’t be late, Iwa-chan ;)_

Iwaizumi sighed. In the course of three minutes, Oikawa had convinced him to go to the library, on a Saturday, in the rain, _to study_. Had it been anyone else he was sure he would have made up some excuse, saying he was hanging out with Daichi or had already made plans, but he didn’t. A part of him actually wanted to go. Despite his outgoing and talkative nature which was opposite to Iwaizumi’s, Iwaizumi had actually enjoyed the brief moments he had spent with Oikawa so far. Maybe now was the time to get to know each other better. 

Tossing his phone to the side, Iwaizumi laid back down. He still had hours to kill, so he figured studying later didn’t hinder on his plans, or lack thereof, too much. Staring at his ceiling, he remembered his conversation with Daichi the previous day. Daichi, Kuroo, and even Bokuto had always tried to introduce him to new people, some of their other friends or even classmates. But, despite their best efforts, nothing ever clicked with those people. Iwaizumi never felt a want to talk to them, or even hang out with them. It sounded hash, but it was the truth. Eventually, the three just accepted his introverted nature, however occasionally dragged him out to large gatherings. 

This time, it was different. He wasn’t sure exactly what, but he felt something with Oikawa. Sure, in the few times they’d spoken Oikawa had already managed to slightly annoy him more than once, but it wasn’t enough to push him away, Hardly, in fact. It was almost endearing. 

Shaking his head, Iwaizumi closed his eyes again and focused on the sound of the rain outside. Before he knew it, the onslaught of thoughts had faded away, and he stayed like that for a while. 

…

Around 6:30, Iwaizumi managed to find the motivation to make something for dinner, then shower. Once he got dressed and grabbed his bag, he put on his jacket and grabbed an umbrella before leaving.

The thunder had stopped a while ago, however the rain didn’t seem to let up, nor did it seem like it would anytime soon. Despite the weather, however, his walk wasn’t bad and he had made it to the school’s library without getting completely soaked. 

Walking inside, Iwaizumi made his way to the stairs t the second floor. There were hardly any people there, a few scattered here and there, but Iwaizumi figured it wouldn’t be busy. Who would want to come to the library on a Saturday in the rain?

Oikawa, obviously. 

When he got to the second floor, Iwaizumi eventually found Oikawa in one of the few study rooms, and walked inside. 

Oikawa didn’t seem to notice him at first as he had his headphones on, clearly immersed in something on his phone. When the door clicked shut behind Iwaizumi, he looked up and gave him a small smile.

“So glad you could make it, Iwa-chan.” He said, taking his headphones off and putting his phone to the side.

“Is studying your idea of a fun Saturday night?” Iwaizumi asked, pulling up a chair and putting his bag down. 

“Not exactly, however you did say you had a test next week. That and I wanted an excuse to hang out with you.” 

Iwaizumi stared at Oikawa for a few moments before turning his head away, attempting to hide the small blush that was beginning to make its way to his cheeks. What the hell was he doing?

“So is your plan to just sit there and force me to read my textbook and take notes?”

Oikawa stared at Iwaizumi for a few moments before he began laughing. Iwaizumi became focused on the sound of it. 

“God no, I said I was going to help you not torture you.” Oikawa smiled. Standing up, he began unpacking various notebooks from his backpack before walking to the other end of the table. On the wall was a small whiteboard, and when Oikawa picked up one of the markers, Iwaizumi could already feel himself getting more nervous.

Oikawa turned his back to Iwaizumi and began writing on the board and when he was done, he turned back to face him, and Iwaizumi read the three phrases on the board.

_Biology_  
_Chemistry_  
_Physics_

Flipping through his notebook on the table, Oikawa looked back up at Iwaizumi. 

“First, we need to see what we’re working with. Can you define these?”

Iwaizumi had taken his notebook out but blanked for a few moments, merely staring at Oikawa. Oikawa said he’d help him, but he didn’t think he was this serious. It made his heart beat a little quicker. 

Staring at the board, Iwaizumi was almost annoyed at the simple question, however he figured if anyone knew what they were doing, it was Oikawa.

“The study of organisms, the study of elements, and- “Iwaizumi sighed, “honestly, I have no idea.” 

Oikawa smiled a bit. 

“More or less. To put physics simply, it’s the study of the properties of matter and energy.”

Iwaizumi nodded, taking out his notebook as Oikawa erased what he wrote. 

“Did you bring your textbook with you?”

Iwaizumi nodded and grabbed his textbook out of his bag, sliding it across the table to Oikawa, who began to look through it. While Oikawa was skimming the pages, Iwaizumi watched. As he flipped through various chapters, he hardly seemed phased by what was on the page, Iwaizumi knew every time he read it, he definitely did not look that confident. 

When Oikawa turned around and began writing again, Iwaizumi snapped out of his daze.

“What unit are you guys learning right now?”

“Biology.”

“I figured,” Oikawa said, turning back around to look at the textbook, “in my opinion it’s the easiest of the three, so we’ll start there.” 

Iwaizumi just nodded and watched as Oikawa wrote various questions on the board, and when he turned around, Iwaizumi immediately placed his forehead on his notebook, making Oikawa laugh.

“It seems like a lot, but trust me once you begin to understand it, it’ll get better.” 

Iwaizumi looked back up and saw Oikawa giving him the same small smile he always did, and sighed. 

“So…where do we start?”

“Here,” Oikawa said, pointing to a question that read _‘What are the Basics of the Cell?’_ , “so, Iwa-chan, tell me what you know.” 

…

For the next couple hours, the two went back and forth with Oikawa asking a question and Iwaizumi answering. If he got it wrong, Oikawa took his time explaining it, even writing diagrams on the board which Iwaizumi copied into his notebook. It was surprisingly nice. Iwaizumi knew more then he thought he did. A part of him began to with Oikawa was helping in his class instead. 

“Alright, I think we’re good for today,” Oikawa said, flopping down into the chair at the other end of the table, “we got a lot done. You actually know quite a bit, Iwa-chan.” 

“Speak for yourself,” Iwaizumi said, looking at the whiteboard which was filled with various diagrams and notes, “you really know your stuff.” 

“What can I say, I’m good at what I do. Maybe someday you’ll be as good as me, young padawan.” 

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes as he packed his things away, leaning back in his chair when he was done. 

“What’s your favourite Star Wars movie?”

“Originals or prequels?”

Iwaizumi looked over at Oikawa who head his head leaned back, staring at the ceiling and smiled a bit. 

“Both.” 

Oikawa hummed for a moment, clearly thinking through his options. 

“Originals is Empire Strikes Back, Prequels is The Phantom Menace,” Oikawa replied, sitting up to look at Iwaizumi, “what about you, Iwa-chan?” 

“Mine too.” 

“Good, I would have definitely argued with you if you said otherwise.” 

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes. 

“Of course you would have.” 

“So mean, Iwa-chan.” 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

Oikawa merely smiled a bit at Iwaizumi before standing up, walking back over to the white board to erase it. 

“We should probably get going soon. The library’s going to close soon.”

Iwaizumi raised an eyebrow at Oikawa before he took out his phone, looking at the time. It was 9:45. They’d been there for over two hours. It hardly felt like it.

“Yeah,” Iwaizumi said, packing his things away, “thanks for your help, by the way.” 

“Don’t worry about it,” Oikawa said, packing his things up as well, “I’m glad I could help.” 

Once they’d gotten their things together the two left and made their way downstairs. When they’d gotten outside it was still raining, and Iwaizumi opened his umbrella, holding it over himself and Oikawa.

“Did you walk here?” Iwaizumi asked. 

“Yeah, I’m about thirty minutes that way,” Oikawa said, nodding to his right. It was the opposite direction of Iwaizumi. 

“Did you bring an umbrella with you?”

“No, the rain let up a bit on my way, but I should have figured it’d pick up later.” Oikawa replied, laughing a bit. 

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes, shoving his umbrella into Oikawa’s hand. 

“Dumbass, you’re going to get sick. Take it.” 

Oikawa stared at Iwaizumi for a few moments, eyes widening slightly. 

“What? No, I can’t, what are you going to do?”

“I’m closer, don’t worry about me, just think ahead next time,” Iwaizumi mumbled, “you can give it back next time I see you.” 

Oikawa smiled a nodded. 

“Alright. Get home safe, Iwa-chan.” 

Iwaizumi nodded. 

“You too. See you later.” 

Turning around, Iwaizumi began walking home, the rain immediately hitting him. His jacket protected his bag and his torso, and he knew he’d be soaked by the time he got home. Still, he didn’t seem to mind too much. Oikawa did help him after all. It was the least he could do. 

When he got back to his apartment, he saw Daichi’s shoes by the door, signaling to him that his roommate was back, seeing as he was still gone when he left. 

Taking of his shoes and coat, Iwaizumi threw his bag in his room before heading for the bathroom to warm up with a shower. When he was done, he changed into his sweatpants and grabbed his laptop, crawling into bed. As he opened his laptop to resume his movie, his phone chimed again. Picking it up, he saw it was a text from Oikawa. 

[Oikawa] 10:35 pm  
_Thanks for the umbrella, Iwa-chan :)_

Iwaizumi smiled a bit.

Maybe studying with Oikawa wouldn’t be so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, physics went over my head in high school. 
> 
> Thank you for reading! :)


	6. Checkmate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!   
> I'm really sorry that this update is a couple weeks late. I've been going through a bit of a tough time right now, and as a result I've found it hard to find the motivation to write. As well I've been working a lot and trying to move into a new place at the same time, so things have been a bit of a mess lately. I hope you all understand. 
> 
> At the beginning of the last chapter I said this one was coming with a bit of an update, so here it is. Future chapters of the story are going to deal with subjects surrounding mental health. I will add this at the beginning of all chapters, however I wanted to mention it now as I understand some may not be comfortable reading about these topics. As well I have added a few more tags. 
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who had read this, commented, or left kudos. Your support means the world :) 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

[Oikawa] 4:05 pm  
 _Good luck on your test today, Iwa-chan :)_

[Iwaizumi] 4:06 pm  
 _Thanks. If I fail, I’m blaming you_

[Oikawa] 4:06 pm  
 _Whaaaat? That’s not fair and you know it! :(_

[Iwaizumi] 4:07 pm  
 _Hey, its not good to text in class. You’re being a bad influence on your students._

[Oikawa] 4:07 pm  
 _:(_

Iwaizumi smiled down at his phone before he began packing his bag for class. Him and Oikawa had met up almost every day for the past week whenever they had spare time to study. It was nice, and despite the fact that they were always doing work, Iwaizumi found himself looking forward to it. How Oikawa could make studying somewhat fun, Iwaizumi didn’t know. Not that he minded, anyways. 

He arrived to class a little early, wanting to go over his notes once more beforehand. He opened his own notebook and then the one Oikawa had leant him, going back and forth between the two. After a while he couldn’t help but take notice at their differences. His own notes were all written in black pen, and although they were organized and legible, that’s about all they were. Oikawa’s notes, on the other hand, were filled with various colours of high lighter and pens, with different words or phrases circled or starred in the margins. Some notes were scribbled over top of sentences as well, as if he was thinking faster than he could write. 

Iwaizumi couldn’t help but smile a bit as he flipped through the pages. 

…

[Oikawa] 8:30 pm  
 _Soooo how’d it gooooo?_

Iwaizumi had just closed the front door behind him when his phone rang. He didn’t even need to look at it to know it was most likely Oikawa pestering him about how his test went. 

[Iwaizumi] 8:32 pm  
 _I don’t think I failed._

[Oikawa] 8:33 pm  
 _But?_

[Iwaizumi] 8:33 pm  
 _High 60s. Low 70s if we’re feeling confident._

[Oikawa] 8:44 pm  
 _Last time I checked both of those are better than a 53._

Iwaizumi snorted. Of course, Oikawa would remember the exact number he got on his last test. 

[Iwaizumi] 8:34 pm  
 _How gracious of you to remind me._

[Oikawa] 8:35 pm  
 _I aim to please ;)_

Iwaizumi smiled a bit before putting his phone down and falling back onto his bed. Another Friday night had snuck up on him and another week had ended. It was already mid-October and yet Iwaizumi could have sworn it was only August a few days ago. 

Friday night also came with the constant reminder that he was twenty-one years old spending his Friday night at home alone. He figured Daichi was out seeing as the door was locked when he came home, neither of them ever locking it if someone was home. 

Despite the slight crisis he had about his age and his Friday activities of choice, he hated the thought of going out even more. Especially if either of those places involved a bar or a club. The last thing Iwaizumi wanted was to be in a crowded, loud room with a bunch of obnoxious people. Just the thought of it was enough to make his head hurt and his stomach turn. 

So instead he did what he always did. He passed a few hours either playing a video game or watching a movie and attempted to go to bed early, although spent most of the time staring at the ceiling or tossing and turning. It was getting harder and harder to sleep, and Iwaizumi didn’t know why he tried most nights. 

He figured it was stress keeping him awake, or some subconscious worry that he didn’t want to bother figuring out. His mind went back to what Kuroo had said a while back and found himself rolling his eyes. There was absolutely no way another person’s mere thought of you could keep you awake. Things like that weren’t real, merely placeholders to explain things people couldn’t understand. At least that’s what Iwaizumi believed. 

Then his phone rang. 

Iwaizumi sighed and sat up, figuring it was probably one of his friends sending him a drunk text at the wee hours of the morning, but upon seeing the message on his screen, he was surprised. 

[Oikawa] 1:23 am  
 _What are you doing right now?_

Iwaizumi sat up, reading the message a few times. Oikawa was the last person he expected to text him at this hour. 

[Iwaizumi] 1:24 am  
 _You do realize it is almost 1:30 in the morning_

[Oikawa] 1:24 am  
 _Well you replied, so clearly, you’re awake anyways._  
 _Sooo_  
 _Are you doing anything extremely important at this exact moment or not?_

Iwaizumi couldn’t help but smile a bit. Oikawa was right. He wasn’t doing anything particularly important, and sleep seemed to be a distant memory at this point. 

[Iwaizumi] 1:26 am  
 _No, why, what do you have in mind?_

[Oikawa] 1:27  
 _Meet me at this address and bring your game face, Iwa-chan ;)_

Iwaizumi typed the address into his phone and was pleased to see that the walk wouldn’t be too long. It appeared to be a 24-hour board game café which was definitely more his scene. He figured it wouldn’t hurt. 

[Iwaizumi] 1:29 am  
 _Game on._

Pulling himself out of bed, Iwaizumi quickly got changed and grabbed his keys and a jacket before leaving, locking the door behind him. 

When he arrived, he welcomed the warm air that hit him, quickly warming him up from the cold night air outside. He spotted Oikawa sitting at a table near the back, away from the doors and the cool air the followed people in, which Iwaizumi found himself thankful for. 

“So, do you always get the urge to play board games at one thirty in the morning?” Iwaizumi asked, sitting down across from Oikawa.

Oikawa looking across at him, resting his head in his hands. 

“Not always, however you did agree to it.” He teased.

“Touché.”

“Now,” Oikawa said, placing a box on the table between them, “I suggest you get a coffee and prepare to get your ass kicked.” 

Iwaizumi looked down at the box which he saw was chess, and grinned a bit. 

“Oh, so you think because you have to tutor me that you can beat me in a game of chess.” 

“Yes, that’s exactly what I think.” 

Iwaizumi smiled a bit. Of course.

“Well we’re going to need more than just one coffee. We’ll be here a while.”

“Is that a threat, Iwa-chan?”

“It’s a promise.”

Once the two of them had their drinks and the board was set up, the game began quickly. Iwaizumi could feel Oikawa’s gaze on his every move when it was his turn, and he hated to admit that it almost made him falter more than once. 

“Check.” Iwaizumi said, moving one of his pieces across the board. 

Oikawa looked from the board to Iwaizumi a few times in disbelief before focusing his attention back to the board. He had his head rested in his hand, eyes narrowing at every one of his pieces, carefully deciding his next move. Iwaizumi would be lying if he said he wasn’t staring, taking note of how Oikawa’s eyes widened slightly and the corner of his mouth twitched up when he decided on his next move. 

“Check.” Iwaizumi said again, quickly moving his piece again. 

“Again?” Oikawa mumbled, although it seemed to be more to himself than it was to Iwaizumi. 

Their game went on a while longer, each of Iwaizumi’s turns becoming shorter and Oikawa’s becoming longer as he tried desperately to save himself from losing. 

“Checkmate.” 

“What? Are you serious?” Oikawa said, looking from the board to Iwaizumi, a small smile forming despite his defeat, “well you didn’t tell me you were good at this.” 

“What can I say? I’m full of surprises.”

“That you are,” Oikawa smiled, assembling the pieces back to normal, “best two of three?”

“You’re on.”

After many cups of coffee and a few more games of chess, Oikawa took his glasses off and put his forehead on the table.

“Okay. I give up. You win.” 

Iwaizumi laughed a bit, moving the board slightly so that Oikawa didn’t hit it. 

“If I’m correct, you lost four times.” 

“I won once!” 

“Once.” 

“Don’t be mean.” 

“Sorry.” Iwaizumi smiled. He found himself tempted to reach across the table and ruffle Oikawa’s hair, but decided against it. 

“Well, the night is still young,” Oikawa said, sitting up and looking at Iwaizumi, “unless you want to go home, then just let me know.” 

Iwaizumi had no idea what time it was, but considering they just played five rounds of chess, it was probably late. Yet Iwaizumi didn’t want to go home. Not yet, at least. 

“I’m not tired.” 

“Great,” Oikawa smiled, standing up and putting his coat on, “then how about a walk.”

Iwaizumi nodded, putting his coat on as well as his followed Oikawa outside. 

The cool air hit Iwaizumi as soon as they stepped outside and he quickly put his hands in his pockets. He didn’t know where they were going, he was merely walking alongside Oikawa, following him.

“I demand a rematch some time.” Oikawa said. 

Iwaizumi smiled, stopping next to Oikawa at a cross walk. 

“Are you sure about that? I don’t want to hurt your pride too much.” He teased.

Oikawa laughed a bit, the two of them starting to cross the street.

“I think you’re just scared to lose since you won so much.” 

“Uh huh,” Iwaizumi hummed, “fine. Tell me where and when and I’ll be there.” 

“Good.” Oikawa smiled. 

The two of them walked in comfortable silence for a while, merely enjoying each other’s company. Iwaizumi appreciated it more than he cared to admit. Words didn’t always come as easily as they had that night, and it saved him the worry of stumbling over his words. 

The sound of soft thunder snapped Iwaizumi from his daze, and he and Oikawa both stopped and looked up. The heavy rain followed shortly after. 

“Good timing.” Iwaizumi said, raising his voice slightly over the rain.

“I’m only a couple blocks away if you want to wait out the rain there.” Oikawa replied.

Iwaizumi stared at him for a few moments, despite the fact that they were both now soaked from the rain. Despite the inconvenience, everything seemed almost too perfect. 

“Lead the way.” 

Oikawa smiled and offered Iwaizumi his hand, which he took, before breaking into a run. 

Iwaizumi was surprised but found himself matching Oikawa’s pace, even laughing as the two of them went around a corner, almost slipping in the process. Eventually they arrived, the two of them stopping to catch their breath in the lobby.

“That’s the second time now.” Iwaizumi said, looking up at Oikawa who was smiling a bit, despite the fact that the two were completely soaked. 

“Maybe the universe is trying to push us a part. Or together, I can’t really tell,” he smiled before motioning for Iwaizumi to follow him. 

Once Oikawa’s back was turned, Iwaizumi ran his hands down his face in an attempt to get rid of the small blush that was forming. He hated how a simple sentence could get him so easily flustered. It’d never exactly happened to him before. 

Still, he followed Oikawa to the stairs, and down the hall of the fifth floor. Eventually they made it to Oikawa’s apartment and after he unlocked the door, Iwaizumi followed him in, mostly glad to be out of the rain. 

Iwaizumi took a moment to look around, noticing Oikawa’s place was a studio apartment and significantly smaller than his and Daichi’s place, although he assumed one person didn’t need a lot of space to begin with. 

“I can put your coat in the dryer for you if you want.” Oikawa offered having already taken his off. 

“Oh,” Iwaizumi said, snapping out of his slight daze to take his coat off to hand to Oikawa, “thanks.” 

“I’ll be right back.” 

When the door closed and Oikawa disappeared down the hall, Iwaizumi took his shoes off and walked towards the small living space. There was a couch and a coffee table which had a few books stacked on top of it. Beside it was a large window that took up almost the entire wall where Iwaizumi could see the storm still going on outside. 

He turned right and found himself standing in front of a rather large bookcase which seemed to act as a partition between Oikawa’s bed and desk and the rest of his apartment. It was filled with various books, each with multi coloured pieces of paper sticking out of them, no doubt book marks. He was sure there was writing in all of them as well. 

Scattered amongst the books, there were also a lot of CDs. Many were bands or artists Iwaizumi hadn’t heard of, and he found himself picking one up to analyze. 

“Your jacket shouldn’t take too long.” Oikawa said as he opened the door, almost causing Iwaizumi to drop the CD he was holding. 

“Sorry I-.” Iwaizumi started, although Oikawa hardly seemed to mind as he moved to stand beside Iwaizumi, looking at the CD in his hand. 

“Oh, which one did you pick?”

“I have no idea.” 

“You’ve never heard this before?”

“Nope.” Iwaizumi replied, handing the CD to Oikawa. 

“What kind of music do you like?” Oikawa asked, moving to the other end of the bookcase where a small CD player sat.

“I don’t know. I don’t really listen to music all that much.” 

Oikawa was halfway through putting the CD Iwaizumi was holding into the CD player before he turned to stare at him in shock. 

“You don’t?” he asked, “ever?”

“Not really.” 

Oikawa stared at Iwaizumi in disbelief for another few moments before pressing play on the CD player and letting it play. 

“Well you picked out a good one,” Oikawa smiled, moving to sit on the couch, “have a listen.” 

Iwaizumi stayed where he was standing as the first song began to play, looking at Oikawa’s vast CD and book collection as he listened. 

_Every dollar counts and every morning hurts  
We mostly work to live, until we live to work  
She said, "You know, there's nowhere else to go"  
But changing roles, it struck me that the two of us could run._

Iwaizumi smiled a bit as he listened, turning around to face Oikawa who has his head leaned back, humming along to the music. 

_Worlds away from cars and all the Stars and Bars  
Where a little bit of condensation means so much  
And a little bit of change is all your little fingers touch  
I said, "You know, there's nowhere else to go"  
But changing roles, it struck me that the two of us could run._

“It’s not half-bad,” Iwaizumi said, moving to sit on the other end of the couch, “you have a lot of music.” 

Oikawa sat up and looked over to Iwaizumi and nodded. 

“Yeah, I collected CDs a lot when I was younger,” he said, “I have more in a box in my closet because they clearly didn’t fit on the book shelf.” 

“You have more?” Iwaizumi asked. 

“A lot more. I can only fit so much in this tiny apartment.” He smiled. 

“I guess you’re right.” 

The two sat in the living room for a while, listening to each song, Oikawa occasionally asking Iwaizumi for his input on it. Iwaizumi took note of how excited Oikawa seemed to be talking about it. 

Eventually the first song replayed signaling that they had made their way through the whole CD, and Oikawa stood up shortly after. 

“I think our jackets are dry, I’ll be back.” 

Iwaizumi nodded and watched as Oikawa left before taking out his phone. It occurred to him he hadn’t checked it all night and wondered if there would be any worried texts from Daichi about his absence. To his surprise, there were none, although the time threw him off guard. His phone read 4:43 am, meaning him and Oikawa had been hanging out for just over three hours. It had hardly felt like it. 

The door opened again and Oikawa walked in, hanging up his own jacket and walking over to give Iwaizumi his.

“Thanks,” he said before standing up, “I think I should head home. The rain has let up a bit.” 

Oikawa smiled a bit and nodded.

“Before you go, take this,” Oikawa said, handing Iwaizumi the CD they had listened to, “you should listen to it at least once more before passing judgement.” 

Iwaizumi nodded and smiled a bit, putting it in his jacket pocket. 

“I will.”

“Oh! Here, and your umbrella. I meant to give it back sooner but I forgot.” 

Iwaizumi had almost forgotten he’d leant it to Oikawa the previous week, and it seemed only fitting to give it back now.

“Thanks for inviting me out,” Iwaizumi said, turning his head slightly to avoid Oikawa’s gaze, “I had fun.” 

“I’m glad,” Oikawa said, walking with Iwaizumi to the door, “let me know when you get home.” 

“I will. Goodnight, Oikawa.” 

“Goodnight, Iwa-chan.” Oikawa smiled, before closing the door as Iwaizumi walked down the hall. 

His walk home wasn’t too bad, although it was long considering Oikawa lived the opposite direction of him and Daichi. Still, he made it home in just under forty minutes, grateful to be out of the rain once in his building. 

He quietly made his way up the stairs to his floor, careful not to be too loud. It was early in the morning, and he figured his neighbours wouldn’t be too thrilled with being woken up at almost five thirty in the morning on a Saturday. 

When he made it to his room, he took his keys out, however stopped as he heard voices, clearly from inside his and Daichi’s apartment. The voices grew louder, one he clearly recognized as Daichi’s, followed by a bit of laugher. 

Quietly, he opened the door as to not startle his roommate and almost stopped dead in his tracks. 

“Stop, I’m trying to make coffee.” Daichi said, although there was no bite to his words. 

“Well _you’re_ the one who kept me up all night.” Suga said, wrapping his arms around Daichi’s waist in a clear attempt to distract him from the task at hand. 

“I didn’t think you’d complain this much.” 

“I’m hardly complaining.” 

Iwaizumi managed to close the door behind him after a few moments, which caused both Suga and Daichi to freeze in place, the two eventually turning around. 

“Good morning,” Iwaizumi said, looking from Suga to Daichi, “how was your night?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The album the two were listening to was _Contra_ by Vampire Weekend, and the song was _Run_ off of the same album :)   
> Thank you for reading!


	7. Heavy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I'm back with a new chapter, this time in Oikawa's POV.   
> Thank you to everyone who left comments and kudos on my last chapter. I am doing a lot better than I was about a month and a bit ago, and just needed the time to work some things out.   
> Alas, I am back in school and am already swamped with assignments and readings. I have every intention of finishing this story, updates just might be a little slower. My program is very essay heavy, and sometimes I get a little burnt out from writing because of it. I will update this at least once a month, however :)
> 
> As well, in relation to this chapter, this chapter does deal with the subject of mental health. I understand some people may not be comfortable reading about it, which is why I am putting this in this note. 
> 
> Thank you once again to everyone who left comments, kudos, or just read this. Your support means everything and his greatly appreciated :)

When Oikawa woke up, he couldn’t even guess what time it probably was. Although his curtains were drawn, he could tell that the sun was not shining that day due to the lack of light in his room. Knowing the weather was dreary, it almost killed whatever motivation he had to get out of bed. 

Patting his bed for his phone, he turned it on to check the time, wincing slightly at the bright screen. Once his vision focused, he could see that the time read 12:43 pm. He wanted to say he was surprised. The average person finding out they slept through the entire moment would have jumped out of bed in a panic, but not Oikawa. Dare he say the time was almost early, for him, that is. 

Eventually Oikawa managed to pull himself out of bed, opening his curtains before walking the short distance to his kitchen. Once he had made himself a coffee, he wandered back to his bed and opened his laptop, going through various emails and taking note of upcoming tests and assignments. He worked for another hour or so before the time displayed on his laptop screen served as a reminder of his class that evening. 

Oikawa sighed. 

It looked cold outside, and the grey clouds that covered the entire sky made him want to do nothing but crawl back into bed and go to sleep. Eventually he managed to get up and get dressed, quickly brushing and styling his hair before grabbing his things and heading out. 

His observations were proven correct the second Oikawa stepped outside his apartment building. A cold gust of wind hit him immediately causing him to shove his hands in his pockets and tuck his chin into the collar of his jacket. 

When he arrived at the school, he welcomed the warmth of the classroom as he took his jacket off and set his things down by his usual spot at the front. Most students had arrived, but their professor was still nowhere to be seen yet. 

Taking out his phone, Oikawa sent a quick message to Iwaizumi. He remembered the other had a test that day, one Oikawa had helped him study for all week.

[Oikawa] 4:05 pm  
 _Good luck on your test today, Iwa-chan :)_

[Iwaizumi] 4:06 pm  
 _Thanks. If I fail, I’m blaming you_

Oikawa smiled a bit to himself at Iwaizumi’s quick response. He expected nothing less from the other. 

[Oikawa] 4:06 pm  
 _Whaaaat? That’s not fair and you know it! :(_

[Iwaizumi] 4:07 pm  
 _Hey, its not good to text in class. You’re being a bad influence on your students._

[Oikawa] 4:07 pm  
 _:(_

Oikawa rolled his eyes but a small smile still remained on his face.

…

Once his class had ended, Oikawa stayed behind for a bit, helping answer some questions that a few students had. Once the last student had left the classroom, it was closer to 8:00 pm, the time Oikawa knew Iwaizumi’s class ended. He debated for a few moments on sticking around to ask how it went, but decided against it at the last moment. He’d text him later instead. 

When he finally left to begin his walk home, Oikawa was surprised to see it hadn’t rained yet. He found himself looking out the window while in class, watching as the clouds continued to get darker as time went by. A small part of him was disappointed he didn’t get caught up in a rain storm. The weather had been horrible all day and it was almost as if he could feel the upcoming rainfall in his bones, it just refused to happen just yet. 

Once inside his apartment again, Oikawa dropped his backpack and his coat to the floor by the front door, hardly caring as he walked towards his bed and flopped down face first onto it. He’d hardly done anything that day and slept in, and yet he still felt exhausted, as if he could go back to sleep for the next few days. 

Eventually, Oikawa found the energy to take out his phone, noticing the time, and sent Iwaizumi a message. 

[Oikawa] 8:30 pm  
 _Soooo how’d it gooooo?_

He only waited a short couple minutes before a response came up. 

[Iwaizumi] 8:32 pm  
 _I don’t think I failed._

[Oikawa] 8:33 pm  
 _But?_

[Iwaizumi] 8:33 pm  
 _High 60s. Low 70s if we’re feeling confident._

Oikawa smiled a bit to himself. He knew Iwaizumi had been worrying all week, yet he knew that he would be fine. They studied together every spare minute they had. Of course Iwaizumi was going to do well. 

[Oikawa] 8:44 pm  
 _Last time I checked both of those are better than a 53._

[Iwaizumi] 8:34 pm  
 _How gracious of you to remind me._

Oikawa snorted, a small smile still remaining on his face. 

[Oikawa] 8:35 pm  
 _I aim to please ;)_

Tossing his phone to the side, Oikawa laid in bed for what felt like a couple hours, but when he checked his phone again, was only twenty minutes. 

Pulling himself up, he changed into sweatpants and a t-shirt before wandering over to the small kitchen to make dinner.

After he ate, he picked up his headphones and his laptop and crawled back under the covers of his bed, putting his headphones on and pressing play on whatever he had been listening to earlier. He opened a couple tabs on his laptop, brining up various assignments and readings, however closed them after only a few minutes, shoving his laptop away from him. 

Laying down, Oikawa just looked up at his ceiling. It was only a little after nine on a Friday night, and yet he felt completely and utterly exhausted. His body felt heavy and he felt as if he could sink into his mattress and never want to get up. He could feel his mind begin to go into overdrive as well, what felt like a million things he still needed to get done constantly racking in his brain, reminding him that laying down wasn’t going to help. 

Sighing, Oikawa picked up his phone and scrolled through the various playlists he had made, and finally settled on one. Pressing play, he put his phone back down and closed his eyes, focusing on the sound of the music and letting it overtake whatever else began floating in his mind. It helped for a little while and he found himself dozing off every now and then, and eventually fall asleep all together. 

…

When Oikawa woke up, it was just before one in the morning. His exhaustion finally got the better of him and waking up after four hours of sleep so late in the night meant he wouldn’t be going to bed anytime soon. 

Sitting up he took his headphones off and picked up his phone, pausing whatever had been playing. He stayed like that for a bit, merely going through the various apps on his phone although hardly paying attention to any of them. He could feel his mind going into overdrive once again, and the heaviness in his body returned. 

He hadn’t had either happen in a little while, and he knew one of the only things that made him feel better was to leave his apartment, however even that didn’t sound appealing at the time. He knew he’d fall back into his routine of aimlessly wandering around for a couple hours before returning back to his apartment alone. He didn’t think he’s craved company so badly before. Anything and anyone to keep his mind at bay. 

Taking out his phone, Oikawa stared at Iwaizumi’s name on his screen. He wondered if Iwaizumi was even awake. From their first meeting and occasional midnight texts, Iwaizumi seemed to be a bit of a night owl himself. The thought that Iwaizumi may be awake so early in the morning has brought Oikawa some comfort the nights he found himself unable to sleep. 

Eventually, Oikawa began typing and sent the message without a second thought. 

[Oikawa] 1:23 am  
 _What are you doing right now?_

Oikawa hardly had to wait before a response lit up his screen. 

[Iwaizumi] 1:24 am  
 _You do realize it is almost 1:30 in the morning_

Oikawa smiled a bit. He had a feeling Iwaizumi would give some sort of snarky response. 

[Oikawa] 1:24 am  
 _Well you replied, so clearly, you’re awake anyways.  
Sooo  
Are you doing anything extremely important at this exact moment or not?_

Oikawa found himself staring nervously at his phone for the next couple minutes that went by, wondering if it was a bad idea to text Iwaizumi, or if he’d say no. 

[Iwaizumi] 1:26 am  
 _No, why, what do you have in mind?_

A small smile returned to Oikawa’s face at the response, and he quickly replied. 

[Oikawa] 1:27  
 _Meet me at this address and bring your game face, Iwa-chan ;)_

[Iwaizumi] 1:29 am  
 _Game on._

Oikawa immediately got out of bed and quickly found a hoodie and jeans to change into. Once he put his shoes and coat on, he left without a second thought. 

The walk wasn’t far to the boardgame café. He’d been there multiple times with his friends, the four of them often spending hours on one game after demanding multiple rematches from each other. It was one of his favourite places to go. 

When Oikawa arrived, he immediately appreciated the warmth in the room compared to the chilly air from the outside. After he’d bought a coffee for himself, he set it down at a small table near the back with his coat, before going to one of the various shelves of games. Pulling out one, he went back to sit down and wait. 

Iwaizumi arrived not too long after, seating himself across from Oikawa. 

“So, do you always get the urge to play boardgames at one thirty in the morning?” Iwaizumi asked. 

Oikawa smiled a bit and leaned forward to rest his head in his hands before responding. 

“Not always, however you did agree to it.” 

“Touché.”

“Now,” Oikawa said, placing a box on the table between them, “I suggest you get a coffee and prepare to get your ass kicked.” 

Oikawa watched as Iwaizumi looked down at the game in front of them, and couldn’t help but smile when Iwaizumi grinned. 

“Oh, so you think because you have to tutor me that you can beat me in a game of chess.” 

“Yes, that’s exactly what I think.” 

Oikawa’s smiled widened a bit as their friendly banter continued, immediately feeling the heaviness in his body slowly begin to disappear. 

“Well we’re going to need more than just one coffee. We’ll be here a while.”

“Is that a threat, Iwa-chan?”

“It’s a promise.”

Once Iwaizumi had returned with his own coffee, the two of them began setting up their sides of the board, Oikawa calling dibs on the white pieces. When they finally began, their game lasted less than ten minutes. 

“Check.” Iwaizumi said, moving one of his pieces across the board. 

Oikawa looked from the board to Iwaizumi a few times in disbelief before focusing his attention back to the board. He had his head rested in his hand, eyes narrowing at every one of his pieces, carefully deciding his next move. He had no idea Iwaizumi would be this good. None of his friends had even been able to beat him in a game of chess before, only Tsukishima coming relatively close. After a few more minutes of analyzing, Oikawa grinned a bit and moved his next piece. When he looked back up, he just missed Iwaizumi’s stare as the other focused his attention back to the board. 

“Check.” Iwaizumi said again, quickly moving another piece. 

“Again?” Oikawa mumbled, although it seemed to be more to himself than it was to Iwaizumi. 

Their game went on a while longer, each of Iwaizumi’s turns becoming shorter and Oikawa’s becoming longer as he tried desperately to save himself from losing. 

“Checkmate.” 

“What? Are you serious?” Oikawa said, looking from the board to Iwaizumi, a small smile forming despite his defeat, “well you didn’t tell me you were good at this.” 

“What can I say? I’m full of surprises.”

“That you are,” Oikawa smiled, assembling the pieces back to normal, “best two of three?”

“You’re on.”

They played a few more rounds, each of their games getting longer as Oikawa began to pick up on some of Iwaizumi’s strategies. A few times Oikawa had Iwaizumi stuck on his next move, and he took the opportunity to take in the other’s appearance and movements. 

The first thing Oikawa had noticed when Iwaizumi sat down was his hair was different. It became clear that he styled it during the day, but now it was flat with a few strands of hair falling into his face. Oikawa also noticed how Iwaizumi ran his fingers through his hair when he was thinking, and how his eyebrows shot up slightly when he figured out his next move. 

He looked nice like this, Oikawa thought to himself. Sure, he’d always thought Iwaizumi looked nice, but this time it was different. He looked relaxed. He looked like he was having fun. 

The thought made Oikawa smile a bit. 

Eventually, however, after a couple more games, Oikawa took off his glasses and pressed his forehead to the table in defeat. 

“Okay. I give up. You win.” 

Oikawa could hear Iwaizumi laugh. It wasn’t something he heard often, and in that moment, it sounded like music to his ears. He was glad his face was hidden otherwise Iwaizumi would see the faint blush on his cheeks. 

“If I’m correct, you lost four times.” 

Oikawa’s head immediately shot up. 

“I won once!” 

“Once.” 

“Don’t be mean.” 

Looking across the table, Oikawa gave Iwaizumi an overexaggerated pout, and for a brief moment, he could have sworn Iwaizumi was about to reach out to him. 

“Sorry.” Iwaizumi smiled. 

It was a smile bigger than the little grins Oikawa saw here and there. He never wanted to stop looking at Iwaizumi’s smile. 

“Well, the night is still young,” Oikawa said, sitting up and looking at Iwaizumi, “unless you want to go home, then just let me know.” 

Oikawa knew it was late, well, late for the average person. If Iwaizumi wanted to go of course he wouldn’t be upset, yet a part of him seemed to be hoping and praying that Iwaizumi would stay. He didn’t want their night to end.

“I’m not tired.” 

Oikawa could feel his heart pounding a bit at Iwaizumi’s words. Their night wasn’t going to end just yet. 

“Great,” Oikawa smiled, standing up and putting his coat on, “then how about a walk.”

Iwaizumi nodded, putting his coat on as well as his followed Oikawa outside. 

The cold air immediately hit them as soon as the two walked outside, and Oikawa found himself putting his hands into his pockets as they walked. He didn’t exactly have a plan as to where they were going, but Iwaizumi didn’t seem to mind and merely followed him. 

“I demand a rematch some time.” Oikawa said as they stopped at a crosswalk. 

“Are you sure about that? I don’t want to hurt your pride too much.” Iwaizumi teased, stopping right next to him. 

Oikawa laughed a bit, the two of them starting to cross the street.

“I think you’re just scared to lose since you won so much.” 

“Uh huh,” Iwaizumi hummed, “fine. Tell me where and when and I’ll be there.” 

“Good.” Oikawa smiled. 

The two of them walked in comfortable silence for a while, merely enjoying each other’s company. Oikawa didn’t mind the silence, despite his talkative personality. All that mattered to him in that moment was that he wasn’t alone, and that he was spending time with someone he liked. Someone he cared about. A new friend. 

The sound of soft thunder sounded not too long into their walk, and Oikawa looked up at the sky as the heavy rain came right after. Although the heaviness had almost entirely left his body, the feeling of the cold rain hitting him made it disappear completely. Like the release of the rain assisted in releasing the pressure in his body. 

“Good timing.” Iwaizumi said, raising his voice slightly over the rain.

“I’m only a couple blocks away if you want to wait out the rain there.” Oikawa replied.

The two of them stood in the sidewalk in the pouring rain for only a few moments, Oikawa waiting on Iwaizumi’s response. He panicked for a moment, hoping he didn’t sound weird or too forward, but the worry left once Iwaizumi responded. 

“Lead the way.” 

Oikawa smiled and found himself offering Iwaizumi his hand. Before he could pull it away in a panic, however, Iwaizumi had already looked at it, and much to his surprise, took it. 

Despite being in the cold rain, Iwaizumi’s hands were warm. 

Looking back up, Oikawa gave Iwaizumi a small smile before he began running in the direction of his building, Iwaizumi following in tow. 

The two laughed as they took a corner a little to fast, almost slipping in the process, and Oikawa found himself smiling again. Iwaizumi really did have an amazing laugh. 

Once they finally reached the building, the two stopped in the lobby for a few moments to catch their breath. 

“That’s the second time now.” Iwaizumi said, looking up at Oikawa.

Oikawa smiled a bit, despite the face that the two of them were completely soaked from the rain. 

“Maybe the universe is trying to push us a part. Or together, I can’t really tell,” he smiled before motioning for Iwaizumi to follow him.

Oikawa led Iwaizumi up to the fifth floor and down the hallway, eventually stopping at his apartment. Taking out his keys and unlocking the door, Oikawa motioned for Iwaizumi to follow him inside. 

“I can put your coat in the dryer for you if you want.” Oikawa offered, taking his coat off. 

“Oh,” Iwaizumi said, clumsily taking off his coat and handing it to Oikawa, “thanks.” 

“I’ll be right back.” Oikawa smiled, taking Iwaizumi’s jacket down the hall with him to the laundry room. He wasn’t surprised to find it empty, given the time, but he was still relieved no one else was there. 

Placing the coats in the dryer and stating it, Oikawa made his way back to his room. 

“Your jacket shouldn’t take too long.” Oikawa said as he opened the door, noticing Iwaizumi looking at the various books and CDs scattered across his bookshelf. 

“Sorry I-.” Iwaizumi started, but Oikawa smiled and made his way over, leaning in to see when CD Iwaizumi had picked out. 

“Oh, which one did you pick?”

“I have no idea.” Iwaizumi said honestly. 

“You’ve never heard this before?”

“Nope.” Iwaizumi replied, handing the CD to Oikawa. 

“What kind of music do you like?” Oikawa asked, taking the CD from Iwaizumi and walking over to the small CD player on the shelf not too far away. 

“I don’t know. I don’t really listen to music all that much.” 

Oikawa was halfway through putting the CD Iwaizumi was holding into the CD player before he turned to stare at Iwaizumi in shock. 

“You don’t?” he asked, “ever?”

“Not really.” 

Oikawa stared at Iwaizumi in disbelief for another few moments before turning his attention back to the CD player. Once he had put the CD in, he pressed play and moved to sit on the couch. 

“Well you picked out a good one. Have a listen.” 

Oikawa watched as Iwaizumi stayed where he was, turning his attention back to the bookshelf. Oikawa smiled a bit as he could see the tension leaving Iwaizumi’s shoulders as the other began to feel more comfortable. 

_Every dollar counts and every morning hurts  
We mostly work to live, until we live to work  
She said, "You know, there's nowhere else to go"  
But changing roles, it struck me that the two of us could run._

Oikawa tilted his head back and looked at the ceiling, humming along to the words of the song. 

_Worlds away from cars and all the Stars and Bars  
Where a little bit of condensation means so much  
And a little bit of change is all your little fingers touch  
I said, "You know, there's nowhere else to go"  
But changing roles, it struck me that the two of us could run. _

“It’s not half-bad,” Iwaizumi said, moving to sit on the other end of the couch, the feeling causing Oikawa to look over to him, “you have a lot of music.” 

Oikawa nodded. 

“Yeah, I collected CDs a lot when I was younger,” he said, “I have more in a box in my closet because they clearly didn’t fit on the book shelf.” 

“You have more?” Iwaizumi asked. 

“A lot more. I can only fit so much in this tiny apartment.” He smiled. If it were up to him, he’d have a whole room dedicated to his books and his music, but alas, there’s only so much a student could wish for. 

“I guess you’re right.” 

The two sat in the living room for a while, listening to each song. Oikawa occasionally asked Iwaizumi his input on a particular song, and smiled a bit when he gave a positive response. Despite mostly sitting and listening, it felt comfortable. 

Eventually the first song replayed signaling that they had made their way through the whole CD, and Oikawa stood up shortly after. 

“I think our jackets are dry, I’ll be back.” 

Oikawa stood up and left the room, quickly retrieving their now dry jackets and making his way back. When he returned, he hung his up and handed Iwaizumi his. 

“Thanks,” he said before standing up, “I think I should head home. The rain has let up a bit.” 

Oikawa smiled a bit and nodded. As much as he wished Iwaizumi could stay, he knew it was late. More so early, considering it was nearing 5:00 am. 

“Before you go, take this,” Oikawa said, handing Iwaizumi the CD they had listened to, “you should listen to it at least once more before passing judgement.” 

Iwaizumi nodded and smiled a bit, and Oikawa watched as Iwaizumi placed it into his jacket pocket. 

“I will.”

“Oh! Here, and your umbrella. I meant to give it back sooner but I forgot.” 

Oikawa turned around and picked up the umbrella that was still leaning against the wall by the door and handed it to Iwaizumi. 

“Thanks for inviting me out,” Iwaizumi said, “I had fun.” 

“I’m glad,” Oikawa said, smiling a bit as the two stood by the front door, “let me know when you get home.” 

“I will. Goodnight, Oikawa.” 

“Goodnight, Iwa-chan.” Oikawa smiled, watching as Iwaizumi opened the door, turning back to wave before making his way down the hall. Once Iwaizumi was no longer in sight, Oikawa closed and locked the door.

As soon as he turned around and saw his empty apartment again, a small weight began to return to his body. It didn’t progress as much as it had earlier, and for that, he was grateful, yet it still lingered.   
Changing back into his sweatpants and t-shirt, Oikawa crawled back into bed and waited. Iwaizumi texted him a little more than a half an hour later, informing Oikawa that he had gotten home safely.   
Oikawa smiled a bit and sent a message back, before placing his phone somewhere on his bed. A wave of exhaustion hit him almost immediately, and eventually he fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! :)   
> As in the last chapter, the song used is _Run_ by Vampire Weekend.   
> The chapter name is based off of the song _Heavy_ by Linkin Park ft. Kiiara

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! As of right now I don't have a planned schedule to update this, however I hoping to do it at least once a month.   
> Thank you again :)


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